Story 3 of the Finals: Summer
by shegal92
Summary: Deseerah can't understand why Shego is sending her away for her sixteenth summer, nontheless to meet with her biological mother who didn't even want her. The past resurfaces for Theygo as she and Drew go back to Middleton to face her greatest sin.
1. Chapter 1, TheygoDrew

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but my characters.

Middleton was a town between Lowerton and Upperton. Most would say, "No duh, that's why they call it Middleton", but it truly was. Lowerton was a small town where nothing much really happened, mostly because few people lived there. Upperton was a high-tech, bustling town with several ten thousands of people. Middleton had embraced technology, but somehow retained the feel of a small town. It was a bright day, not a cloud in the sky. School would be out by the end of the week. A green Subaru drove into town undetected, both of its occupants former Middleton Mad Dogs.

"Times have changed," Drew commented. No one had called him Dr. Drakken for years now. Theygo nodded.

"Definetely," she stared out the window a few minutes before asking, "Tim knows we're coming, doesn't he?"

"I called and told him before we left," Theygo took a deep breath as they pulled into the driveway.

"I know I'm doing the right thing, but it doesn't feel right," Drew took his wife's hand.

"I'll be right there beside you. This is something you've told me a thousand times. Now, we just need to talk to Amy and bring closure."

"It hurts to talk about it."

"I know. This will be the last time we'll ever have to talk about Carmen again, I promise," Theygo opened the car door and Drew opened his and together they got out. Theygo's heart pounded as the doorbell rang. Not for fear that it wasn't the right house, but for fear that it was.

Tim was the one to open the door. His hair had more gray hairs than Drew, which was a relief. She had some unrealistic idea that Tim and Amy had somehow not grown old like them.

"Come on in," he greeted. They filed behind him into the living room.

Amy was there. Theygo couldn't help but feel a pang of envy at how well age had treated her. She was sitting on the couch, surrounded by photographs old and new along with half-full albums.

"Honey," Tim called. She jumped.

"Time, you scared me!" She laughed, "I was just looking through some of our high school pictures. You should see your hair," she set a picture aside, "Bethy was such a shutterbug, wasn't she? Snapping pictures every time she got a new roll of film."

"Speaking of Bethy, we have some guests," Amy's eyes met Theygo's. All emotion left Amy's face. Theygo's muscles tensed and she took a step back. Drew caught her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"We were passing by and thought we might come to say hi," Drew said casually. Amy shot a betrayed look at her husband, as though knowing he had helped plan this.

Theygo gathered her courage and went to sit beside Amy. Amy didn't shy away as Theygo expected, but she didn't ease any either. Drew and Tim shot each other looks.

"We need to talk about what happened all those years ago," Theygo said. Amy smiled bitterly.

"I've been waiting to talk since the day you left Middleton," she said.

&&&&&

So, what did happen all those years ago? Only time will tell. I'm going to do the set-up like I did in "Never Looking Back", switching the point of view every other chapter. Also, I got a question as to why I called this series "the finals", and so I decided to just tell everyone at once. I'm not sure if I'm going to write anymore stories after this one. I just don't have the ideas, or they're so stupid they'll get shot down in a sea of flames (bad pun).


	2. Chapter 2, Deseerah

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but my characters.

My full name is Deseerah Josefina Felina, but everyone calls me DJ. My life was perfect. I have a loving yet a little strange mother, an overprotective (and overfeminine) father, and a crazy, psychotic sister. I do well in school, socially and grade-wise, and even try out for a sport now and then. I have everything I'll ever need in Perro, Montana.

However, my whole life took a drastic detour as an inconvience decided to make herself known.

"DJ, we so need to get together over the summer!"

"Definetely, Mariah."

"Call me!"

"'Kay!"

"Meet you at the pool tomorrow, DJ?"

"Sure thing, Natasha," I loved being the most popular girl in school. I don't think it's conceited to say I am the most popular girl in school because it's true. I mean, I had already stayed after a half hour of the last day of school just saying my H.A.G.S. and signing yearbooks. I saw out of the corner of my eye as my best guy friend Sanjay approached. He was good-looking, with green eyes and dark brown hair and the perfect russet color skin, but I'd never like him "that" way.

"DJ, DJ, DJ, what am I going to do with you? You told me that you were going to find me a girlfriend," he laughed. He had a great laugh.

"Summer's only begun. I have three months," It was unnecessary to say I was doing this because I felt guilty about breaking up with him after the one date we tried, "I will get you a girl, Sanjay, I'm just waiting for an extraordinary girl for you, trust me," Sanjay rolled his eyes and I dashed off. Duckie had been waiting long enough.

Duckie was my adopted sister. Well, honestly, she showed up on our doorstep when we were eight (for the dummies out there, we are the same age) and asked my mom to be her mom, too. Her mom died during childbirth and her father had dumped her at an orphanage. She had run away from foster care and decided to find her own parents. That doesn't surprise me about her. She was leaning against a wall, playing on our joint cell phone. She has electric blue hair in a pixie cut, with bright blue eyes that sparkled. She jerked up her head.

"And Her Highness has stopped mingling with her peasants and has come to converse with Princess Duckie," she made her voice all high and mighty. I jokingly hit her in the back of the head.

"I can't help it if everyone thinks they'll never see me again," I grabbed the cellphone from her.

"And now you have to call someone..."

"I want to call Mom to see if I can go hiking," Duckie smirked and handed over the phone. I dialed our house number. On the second ring, Mom answered.

"Hey, Mom, it's DJ," I said sweetly. Mom sighed.

"What do you want?"

"Can me and Duckie go hiking?" Mom hesitated. She usually just said, "yes, just report to me in an hour".

"There's something important I need to talk to you about?"

"Okay, what?"

"It's a little more delicate than that," Mom took a deep breath. Sensing something was wrong, Duckie grabbed the phone from me.

"PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEOHPRETTYPLEASE?!?!?!?"

"OKAY, SHUT UP!" Duckie grinned.

"Call you in an hour," Duckie said cheerfully. Mom muttered something, "'Kay, bye," Duckie hung up, "Mom always falls for that one."

"Yeah," I agreed, brieftly wondering what Mom wanted to talk to me about. I was probably in trouble for something that happened ages ago she only just found out.

"Yay, let's go "hiking"," Duckie did air quotes. I rolled my eyes. Why did she make such a big deal out of my "hikes"?

&&&

I quickly changed clothes in a nook I had found that was private. I had changed out of my red blouse and jean hip-huggers into shorts and a t-shirt. I also left my shoes behind.

"And now, the mighty huntress goes to her post..."

"Shut up or you'll scare all the prey away," I say the word "prey" softly as though I'm cussing.

"Well, if I'm going to be the next Jeff Corwin, I've got to start practicing," Duckie crouches down and does some weird sidewinder/crab slow walk towards me.

"And now we see the rare half liger, half human, scientific name Deseerus Felinus,"

"Seriously, I'll stop bringing you if you keep treating me like your specimen."

"She is a mouthy one, this Deseerus Felinus," I walk away from her, "She's on the move!" Duckie charged after me. I perched on my favorite boulder, which was on the edge of a large field. Duckie shut up, blending into the shadows. I closed my eyes and just...let go. Let myself be me.

I opened my eyes. I could hear a hawk screech overhead and the rustlings of animals in the bushes. I scented the wind, focusing on the directions the rustlings were coming from...ew, it was a skunk. Not even worth it. I could see Duckie becoming impatient, but there was nothing today. Nothing I could scent from here, anyway. I didn't get why Mom didn't like me hunting. Not that she knew; she had stated long ago that I wasn't allowed to kill anything. They were just animals. They were supposed to be prey.

A faint human scream, out of place in the forests separating Perro from its neighbor cities. My head jerked up. I charged towards it on all fours without thinking. It was a good run, but the continuous screaming guided me. I paused before charging out into the open, where the scream was coming from. It was a group of teenagers and a bear. An angry bear. Those stupid teenagers had trapped themselves into the bear's den. I bunched up my muscles, taking a deep breath, letting my instincts free, and then I burst out as the bear's head reared in another roar.

It was three of my body length leaps to the bear. I covered the distance easily. I used every ounce of strength in my body as I jumped up towards her throat. The force from my jump knocked the bear down and while she was falling, I clamped my canines into her furry throat. I was hoping the fall would have broken her neck, killing her instantly, but we didn't fall hard or far down enough. I whipped her neck around, trying desperately to break it, trying to drown out her pleading bear noises. I couldn't. I had to keep trying to kill her. Finally, she stopped breathing. I pulled away, feeling guilty. Stupid, stupid, stupid kids. I stood.

"Freak," I heard one of the teenagers mutter. I shook my head and laughed.

"At least I wasn't stupid enough to go into a bear cave," I turned around. There were six of them. One girl was hiding behind a boy... Oh. The intensity of his eyes. His blue eyes. Well, I assumed he had two. One was hidden behind bangs. The rest of his raven hair was gathered back in a ponytail. Another girl got into my line of vision.

"How were we supposed to know?" She snapped. She had black hair and emerald eyes like Mom, but her features were sharper. She glared condescendingly at me, sizing me up, "Question is, what kind of animal lunges at throats?"

"It's the most humane way to kill."

"Humane? There's nothing humane about that," she pointed at the bear. I clenched my fists. She crossed her arms.

"Hola, bonjour, aloha, in other words, what's up?" Duckie cut in front of me.

"You with that?" The girl glared at me. I smothered the growl in my throat. Another girl came out and came beside her companion.

"Carmen, what are you trying to do? She saved our skins; by the way we're very grateful," I liked this new girl. She was muscular with medium length black hair. Her left eye was blue and her right eye was emerald green.

"Silvia, please," Carmen rolled her eyes.

"DJ doesn't usually go around ripping out throats of bears. She just let her fur down when she saw your situation," Duckie assured them.

"I didn't think so," Silvia smiled. Carmen rolled her eyes.

"Come on, DJ, we need to get going," Duckie grabbed my hand and dragged me along. I continued to feel Carmen's hot stare on my back, but knew Duckie wasn't about to let me loose my temper, "Last thing we need is for you to be getting in a catfight. Why didn't you walk away sooner?" Duckie exploded once we were far enough away.

"They might've reported me to animal control or something. Who knows what they're going to do now anyway," I hoped nothing, but that one girl looked pretty scared and that Carmen was mad.

"They're from out of town obviously, unless you've seen them at school. They'll go to their parents and their parents won't believe them and it will make a good vacation story," Duckie reasoned, "But you might wanna take that to the cleaners," I looked down at myself and groaned.

"This was one of my favorite t-shirts."

"Too bad. Blood doesn't come out easily. I'm curious; what story did I see happen and vouch for when Mom asks? Nosebleed? The blood drive was bombed? A vampire threw up on you?"

"I'm just going to hide it until I can clean it," I muttered.

"Deception, how sneaky." We made our way back to my nook. I cleaned myself up out of the critical eye of Duckie ("You're cleaning yourself with your tongue? Just don't hack up a hairball in our bathroom sink; it's bad enough that you leave fur in the shower drain!") and changed into my school clothes. Our cellphone's ringtone sounded and Duckie answered.

"'Ello?...Hey, Mom...We're, like, a half mile away from the KOA...I don't see why you can't just tell us over the phone, it's not like the FBI is listening in...Oh...Oh...I won't tell her, you get that honor. We'll be over lickety-split...'Kay, bye," I came out as she hung up. She frowned mockingly at me.

"What did Mom say?" I asked, ignoring her face.

"We gots to go home, like, now,"

"Let's just cut through the KOA," I decided. She shrugged and followed obediantly.

I didn't like going through the KOA campsite, even if it was mostly people that were familiar with me or that a wereligerhuman hung around here. But there was always that ten percent that crapped themselves when they saw me. It felt strangely good to see such fear in their eyes, but it didn't completely erase the guilt of scaring them. No one was scared today; I even saw a few friends from school there. And then, I heard it.

"Deseerah!" Simple enough, right? It was just my name. But no one called me "Deseerah". I was DJ. I had been DJ since second grade. I paused. Duckie glanced behind.

"I don't recognize her," Duckie stated. I could hear the woman who had called my name running towards me.

"Deseerah, is that really you?!" The woman's voice squeaked. I turned around, curiousity beyond just walking away. She was a slim woman with straight medium length black hair that reminded me of Mom's, but thinner. Her eyes were a strange lavender color. I scented the wind. My eyes widened and I sniffed again. I knew her, but I was positive I had never seen her before in my life.

"Yeah," I said softly. Her smile was so big, like a long lost friend seeing you again. She calmed down, though.

"Oh, you probably don't remember me, probably have never even heard of me. But I've missed you so much, ever since you left, we thought you and Shego died,"

"Why would Mom be dead?" Duckie spoke my thoughts. Her eyes widened.

"Shego's alive?"

"Yeah. Who are you?" I asked bluntly, since she obviously didn't see the need for an introduction.

"Oh. I would be your aunt."

"Aunt Chloe?" I asked. Her eyes widened.

"Shego did tell you? Oh my gosh, this is too much, I have so many questions to ask you and Shego... Hego! Hego!" She went running back towards a trailer. Duckie pulled out a cellphone.

"I think we should tell Mom we ran into her sister-in-law at the KOA," Duckie decided.

&&&

Guess what? Those stupid kids on the mountain? Yeah, they're my cousins. Well, two of them are, the Silvia girl is and some younger whelp named Laszlo belong to Aunt Chloe and Uncle Hego. The other four are quads; I don't think they're Aunt Chloe and Uncle Hego's, though. Uncle Hego is weird; he's tall and way too muscular. He's got this stupid curl thing to his black hair and blue eyes. He was watching me as though expecting me to tear them all apart. Usually I just ignored such a reaction to my looks, but the contrast to Aunt Chloe was almost ticking me off.

I was glad when Dad's Volkswagon pulled towards the campsite we were at. It hadn't taken them as long as I expected. Dad got out and went over to Mom's side to help her out.

"I can get out myself!" She snapped. Aunt Chloe and Uncle Hego's heads turned towards her. Dad put his hands up in the air in defeat. Mom stiffly got to her legs. My mom was beautiful, with dark emerald eyes and thick long black hair.

"Shego!" Aunt Chloe squealed. Mom smiled as she saw her running towards her.

"War Hawk!" She grinned. They embraced. Uncle Hego went over, grinning from ear to ear.

"Sis!" He greeted, picking her up as he hugged her.

"Put me down, Hego," she huffed as he smothered her. He dropped her.

"Same old Shego," he laughed. She struggled to her legs and saw the group of teenagers I had been so desperately avoiding yet Duckie had fit right in with. Mom glared at Hego.

"The minute you think I'm dead, you marry my best friend and knock her up," she growled.

"No, two of those are your half-sisters and two are your half-brothers," Mom's eyes widened. Duckie looked at them.

"So I have two half-aunts? Wouldn't that make one? Or...I never did understand geneolomath," Duckie shook her head. Uncle Hego motioned us to join them. Carmen made a point of glaring at me as she passed. What was her problem?

"These are our two, Silvia, whose 14, and Laszlo, whose 9," Mom laughed.

"Laszlo? What were you guys on when you named the poor kid that?"

"Thank you," Silvia sighed.

"These four are Drakken's, quadruplets," he motioned to the others; the cute one, the scared one, Carmen, and another boy I hadn't seen. He was tall and muscular with harsh green eyes and black hair, "Tomik, Carmen, Cassandra, and Andrew," he pointed to each. They were in the opposite order I had put them in. Mom shuddered and Hego laughed, "Feeling's mutual," Dad tapped Mom on the shoulder.

"Well, aren't you going to introduce me?" He asked. He had a voice that suggested that he was a bit more feminine than the average man. Uncle Hego seemed to think the same.

"Hego, Chloe, this is my husband, Dr. Mary Gaylord. No comments, please," None were made, but many looks of amusement were exchanged.

"I was just starting up a fire for some hot dogs," Uncle Hego announced.

"Sounds great," Shego said. We walked back towards the picnic benches and fire pit that was typical of most of the sites at the KOA. I went protectively to Mom's side in case she fell; it looked like her legs were bothering her today.

Soon, everyone had a hot dog on a stick and were roasting it over a fire Mom had made (sometimes it takes an outdoorswoman to do an outdoorsman's job, I guess). I was standing by Duckie, whom was standing next to Silvia. I didn't see Andrew anywhere, and I looked.

"Shego, all this time, you were alive. Why didn't you call or write or something?" Aunt Chloe said.

"GJ wouldn't let me. She's _still_ after me," Mom rolled her eyes.

"Ti-" Uncle Hego began before Mom clamped her hand in front of his mouth. She motioned towards me and his look of confusion turned to understanding. She removed her hand, "Talk about your determination," he joked.

"What's up with you taking care of the quads?" Mom asked.

"Drew and your mom went on a trip. We decided to go on one, too, and here we are," Aunt Chloe said.

"Despite Ti-" Uncle Hego stopped himself.

"How was your hike, girls?" Mom moved the spotlight to us. I shrugged.

"Uneventful," I said.

"Uneventful?! You killed a bear!" Little Whelp Laszlo chirped up.

"Killed a bear?" Mom frowned.

"Yeah, broke its neck and everything!" Mom looked at me.

"It was attacking them, what was I supposed to do?" I asked defensively. Mom sighed.

"We'll save that discussion for later; right now I need to talk to you about your mother. Your biological mother," Uncle Hego and Aunt Chloe looked horrified. I felt confused.

"My biological mother?" I asked. Mom smirked.

"Come on, you didn't really think I was your mother, did you? We look nothing alike," she laughed. I tried not to show my embarrassment.

"Actually, she did have this theory about DNAmy and Kim Possible and surrogate mother or something, I don't really pay attention to her ranting," Duckie pulled her hot dog out and touched it, "OW!" She yelped and then stared at it, "Maybe it's cooler...OW...maybe now...OW!"

"Anyway, your mother contacted me this morning. She wants to spend the summer with you," As if they didn't already look horrified. Uncle Hego and Aunt Chloe looked like the Grim Reaper had appeared and was going to off them. I laughed bitterly.

"Sure, the woman wants nothing to do with me for sixteen years and now decides she wants to spend an entire summer with me. Why would I want to spend my summer in uncomfortable silence and awkward conversations?" I snarled.

"Because this could be the last time you may be able to see her," Mom ran her fingers through her hair, "She has breast cancer."

"You don't actually believe her, do you?" Aunt Chloe asked. Mom looked at her.

"I looked it up. She did go to the hospital because of a lump on her breast and there's an official doctor report that says it is cancer, and that she only has a few months to live."

"This can be turned into a trap very easily," Uncle Hego warned. Mom nodded.

"I've thought about it, agonized over it, analyzed it, but it's a miracle she's let me keep DJ this long. Plus, isn't that what every adopted child wants? To meet their real parents?"

"Nope," Duckie said, smothering her hot dog in relish, mustard, and onions.

"As far as I'm concerned, you're my mother and Gaylord's my father. You two not only raised me, but took care of me. Just because she gave birth to me doesn't mean she's entitled to me. She wanted nothing to do with me for sixteen years; I want nothing to do with her," I crossed my arms.

"That's a lot of "me"s," Duckie commented.

"For once, Duckie's right," Mom admitted. Duckie cheered, "This isn't all about you; Tigress should see you before she dies," That was the first time Mom ever mentioned her name. Out of all the stories she had told about being a hero and a villain, she had never once mentioned the name "Tigress".

"Tigress doesn't deserve squat," Uncle Hego muttered.

"It's too late, anyway. You're going back to Go City with Uncle Hego and Aunt Chloe, they know where she lives. I can only hope that Tigress isn't trying to screw me over," I could see in Mom's eyes that it was final. No negotiating. No getting out of it. I was going to spend my summer with a mother I didn't know or even cared that she existed.

&&&&&

Yeah, I know, it's like "here's some new characters but you don't know much about them because of the quick pace". Well, don't worry, we're going to be spending a lot more time with Hego's and Chloe's family. Until then, please review.


	3. Chapter 3, TheygoDrewAmyTim

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but my characters.

The first picture was one of them all together. Drew and Amy flanked the group, Drew smiling and Amy trying to hide behind Carmen. She had been small then, thin and gawky, compared to her older sister's muscular and graceful figure. Drew looked just as gawky, but not as timid as Amy looked. Carmen Belle Faulk, as Amy's maiden name had been before her and Tim had gotten married, stood tall, grinning at the camera, her green eyes shining, her red hair falling off her shoulders. Carmen always looked spectacular. Tim was standing by Drew, trying to look masculine, but only looked like a poser. Theygo's mouth was open in mid-laugh. She was sitting on Yougo's lap.

Theygo shivered.

"I can't believe I never noticed how cold his eyes were, or that smirk..." she said softly.

"We tried to warn you," Amy said just as softly, remembering it like it was yesterday.

**&&&**

"Did it work?" Carmen asked, Bethy still laughing her head off.

"I...think so," she gasped, getting over Yougo's tickle. Amy looked over at them. This Yougo had come a few weeks earlier from out of state without a formal name or anything. He had destroyed the tentative relationship between Drew and Bethy, practically swooping in and claiming her.

She didn't like him, not one bit. She hoped Bethy would tell him off soon.

"Ames, you look uptight," Carmen commented. Amy looked at her and shook her head.

"Just thinking about school again."

"Come on, Ames! School isn't for weeks!" Bethy rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to be going into high school. Nothing good comes from it," Amy insisted, remembering the stories Carmen laughed about. Drunken parties. Illegal drugs. Worse things.

"I swear, you're a fourty-year-old trapped in a fifteen-year-old's body," Bethy said, glancing down at Yougo's arms around her waist.

Maybe she was just a worry-wart, but ever since eighth grade had ended, she had had a foreboding about going into high school. That everything was going to change.

**&&&**

Drew remembered watching Theygo and Yougo as the picture was being taken. It was like a slap in the face to him. He loved her, he loved her very, very much. And then this, this guy comes out of nowhere and forced himself upon her. Now, she was in his lap, laughing as he tickled her.

Their eyes met briefly after the flash. Her eyes were unsure and scared. He wanted nothing more than to take that look out of her eyes, no matter what. She was usually strong, able to take any curve that came her way, but that look was telling him otherwise. He looked over at Tim to see what he was feeling, but he was looking at Amy. As usual.

**&&&**

"Did it work?" Carmen had asked. Tim nodded, but she had her back to him.

"I...think so," Bethy had gasped. She seemed to be having a grand time with the new boy on the block. Drew was acting cool about it, but Tim could tell Yougo was bugging him. Bethy and him had never made it clear they were dating, but that could've been because of Bethy's strict mother.

Amy looked beautiful. She always did. But she looked worriedly at Bethy as though there was something wrong. Bethy was more than capable of handling herself. He wished it wasn't so awkward that he was two years older than Amy, that they were all two years older than Amy. Then maybe, just maybe, he would have the courage to ask her out.

**&&&**

The memory was painful, even if she had been laughing. That whole time period had been painful. Her mother had wanted her to be a lady, but she had tomboy blood in her. Her father had left long ago, before Theygo could even remember. The only love she knew was the sisterly love of Carmen and the innocent love of Drew.

Yougo had come like a flash of light into her life. He was handsome, smooth, and charming. And he had power. The power to control minds with those strange orange eyes of his. He had not used them on her hardly at all, just for simple things like a kiss or getting him a soda.

Now his arms were around her. He was tickling her. She laughed nervously.

"Did it work?" Carmen had asked. Bethy looked at her camera.

"I...think so," she gasped. Maybe this was what having a real boyfriend was like. Maybe Drew hadn't been her boyfriend, just a friend that was a boy. She didn't know anything, it seemed, nothing near what the other girls at school knew.

"You're beautiful," Yougo whispered into her ear. She smiled. She liked having a boyfriend.

&&&&&

Please review.


	4. Chapter 4, Deseerah

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but DJ, Duckie, War Hawk, Andrew, Carmen, Carmen the second, Cassandra, Tomik, Silvia, and Laszlo and Tigress.

My eyes were only half open as we watched an old movie called "Pirates of the Carribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl". I felt warm and safe, Mom's arms wrapped around me as we lay on the couch trying to fall over the edge. I didn't think about why I had some packed bags in my room. I was warm and safe; I loved her and she loved me. I needed nothing else at the end of the day.

"Did Dad get a motorcycle? Nope, it's just DJ's obnoxious purring," I opened my eyes, looking up. Duckie looked very pleased with herself.

"Can't you go bug someone else?" I growled. She was interrupting my last precious minutes with Mom.

"Why? You need this annoyance to get you through the long, painful months deprived of your darling, idolized sister."

"I'm sure they'll be plenty of pestering idiots in Go City."

"Girls, knock it off," Mom said half-heartedly. Duckie paused a minute.

"You never snuggle me, Mommy."

"You're not the only one, Duckie," Dad called from the laundry room.

"Duckie, you can't sit still to save your life and Mary, you're just too hot to handle," I winced as she yelled to Dad.

"Thank you, honey, but it would be nice if we cuddle once in awhile, too," I could tell Mom was rolling her eyes at this and thinking something sarcastic.

"You're the only one I ever snuggle with," she whispered. I purred. Duckie stalked off, making gagging noises. Mom sighed, "Don't get me wrong, I love your sister, but if you come home and she's dead, don't be surprised."

"I don't want to go," I whined.

"I don't want you to go, but you're my peace treaty to your mother."

"What do you mean?" The doorbell rang. I dug my claw-like nails into the sofa, "I'm not going."

"If I have to get Uncle Hego to drag you out, you're going to be sorry," Mom pushed me off the sofa, "I thought I taught you not to claw the furniture when you were two."

"I'm not clawing the furniture," I took my nails out of the upholstry.

"Stand up before I step on your tail," she threatened. I stood up, knowing she would.

"Hey, sweetheart. DJ will be out in a minute, as soon as Shego drags her out," Dad greeted Uncle Hego. I smirked at how uncomfortable he looked when Dad called him "sweetheart". He must not know that's what Dad calls everyone.

Duckie uncerimoniously threw my bags down the staircase.

"NO MORE FUR!" She cheered.

"Don't throw my stuff around!" I yelled at her.

"There's nothing fragile in there!" She protested, stomping down the staircase as loud as she could.

"Like you know!"

"Girls, not today," Mom growled, her hands lighting up with green fire. Duckie and I both shut up. I glanced behind Uncle Hego. A motor home looked like a ride to my own personal heckhole.

"I'm not leaving," I declared.

"Fine by me," Uncle Hego agreed.

"Hego, DJ, I know you don't want to do this, but cooperate. It's not for a lifetime; just three months," Mom looked at Uncle Hego meaningfully, "I'm just as skeptical as you, but DJ's a good girl. I have faith this'll work out for the best," Uncle Hego just shrugged.

"DJ, go with your uncle,"

"Over my unconscious body," I hissed. Uncle Hego groaned.

"We're already behind schedule and I'm tired of arguing with this brat."

"She's not a brat; she's my baby," Mom said.

"Exactly," Uncle Hego stepped inside. I crossed my arms and glared at him. He grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and with no more effort than a tissue, picked me up off the ground.

"Put me down!" I yowled, kicking and slashing at the ground. What was he, super strong?

"Say goodbye to your family," I did not like Uncle Hego. I settled down anyway as Dad hugged me.

"I'm going to miss you so much, sugar," he choked.

"I'm going to miss you, too, Dad," I said, hugging him back. And then he started to cry.

"Dad, Dad, calm down. I'm just as overjoyed as you, but keep it in," Duckie gently pried him off of me. She hugged me, "Aw, who am I kidding? I'm going to miss you, my lump of fur!" She pulled away, "I put your going-away present in one of your bags. It's the cellphone, so you can tell us how Go City is."

"Did you remember the charger?" I asked dryly. She opened her mouth to answer, and then closed it.

"I'll be right back," she ran up the stairs.

Mom's eyes were distant, like after she got to specific parts of her stories about being a hero or villain. She smiled as she looked at me, pained.

"Go City has a lot more things to do than little Perro. You're bound to make a lot more friends. If you ever need me, you can call me at any time and for goodness sakes, remember your manners,"

"I will, Mom," I said. She gave me a bear hug and I hugged her just as fiercely, "I'll make you proud," I promised, feeling my eyes water. We kissed. She held her head in my hands and looked me in the eyes.

"Be good; please, be good," It was as if the words carried a greater weight than I knew. I wanted to say "I will", but I couldn't say the words. My throat hurt. Great, I was going to cry in front of everyone. I squeezed my eyes tight to force the tears back. I was acting like I had never been away from home before.

"I GOTS THE CHARGER!!!!" Duckie hollered, pounding down the staircase. She shoved it into one of my bags.

"Anything else?" Uncle Hego asked.

"That's everything. You can take me away to my doom now," I hissed. My neck was starting to hurt from his hard pinch at it. He carried me away.

"I'll help," Duckie decided, gathering my bags and carrying them to the motor home. Uncle Hego set me down at the other side, where no one else could see us.

"Listen, I think this is just as crappy of an idea as you do. I'm just as pleased about this as you, but it sounds like we're going to have to fudge it to those who think it is, okay?" He murmured.

"I'm not faking anything; I'll just try to be nice about it," I stated.

"Close enough," Uncle Hego agreed.

"Where do the bags go, Uncle Go-Go?" Duckie asked.

"I'll take them, thank you," he smiled. He did have a nice smile when he meant it.

Uncle Hego carried my bags for me as we got into the motor home. It was actually pretty nice. They all watched me as I came in and I tensed. I didn't want to deal with a whole bunch of strangers I couldn't trust. I didn't want to leave Perro. I did not want to leave Mom. I slumped into a seat at a small table across from the girl I had scared. Her eyes looked wide at me for a second, but she turned back to her book. The others were watching me from a larger table in the corner, Aunt Chloe sitting as co-pilot. I pulled out my IPod (I liked older technology compared to the new, way too complicated technology), put the earplugs in, and stared out the window. Duckie was jumping up and down and waving at me. Dad was no where in sight. But Mom, Mom looked so, so sad. As though I really wasn't coming back.

&&&

"Pit stop," Uncle Hego announced. Good. I was grateful for the opportunity to leave my seat.

I looked around. We were in a Walmart parking lot of a small town somewhere between the Midwest and the East Coast, the sun sinking below the horizon. My chest ached as I thought about Perro. Carmen's foot tripped mine as I was getting out. I regained my balance, jumping off the steps gracefully. I smirked at Carmen, who sent me a glare.

"What looks good to you guys?" Uncle Hego asked when we had all filed out of the motor home.

"McDonald's," Tomik replied.

"That restaurant over there, "Stanley's"," Carmen said.

"I'm craving Chinese," Silvia said.

"Well, clearly you all want different things," Uncle Hego pulled out his wallet, "I'll give you guys ten each; go spend it as you please," Now I could slip away, undetected, find a cab to take me home...

"What are you in the mood for, DJ?" Silvia asked me.

"Chinese sounds good to me," I said honestly.

"Great! I saw a place coming in," she took my hand. I tensed at the sudden contact. This got everyone's attention, so I relaxed.

"Cassie, you coming with us?" Carmen asked slyly.

"Actually, Chinese sounds pretty good right now," she said quietly. Carmen frowned, glancing at the adults.

"Cassie, why don't you come with us?"

"But I-"

"Come with us. It won't be a party without you," she cooed. Cassie gave one last look at us and then went with Carmen. This made my blood boil.

"Cassie can go wherever she wants," I hissed. Uncle Hego looked at me.

"I'm not forcing her. She wants to come with us," Carmen said like I was being an idiot. My hands balled into fists.

"Ow, ow, ow,"

"Sorry," I released, forgetting that Silvia's hand had still been in mine. We started to walk towards the restaurant.

"You need to control your anger around Dad. You're already on thin ice with him," Silvia warned me.

"What have I done to Uncle Hego?" I asked incredulously.

"Nothing; it's your mom Tigress. Hasn't Aunt Shego told you any stories?"

"No; she's never even said her name," Silvia shook her head.

"I haven't heard much, Dad nor Mom nor any of Mom's friends will go into details. Dad dislikes very few people, he's usually pretty easygoing. She's the only one he's ever truly hated. Sorry, I shouldn't be talking about your mother this way."

"Hey, if Tigress is a monster, I need to know. And for the record, she's not my mother," Silvia nodded her understanding. We were almost to the restaurant, since we had been on the town outskirts already, when we heard sirens. Both our heads jerked up. There was a car racing away from the police, right towards us. Silvia looked torn. I tensed my muscles and then dashed across the street, hoping to attack the driver when he came by.

I saw it happen out of the corner of my eye and at first thought it a delusion, but I couldn't make something like this up. Silvia looked both ways and then kicked a lamp post. The lamp post snapped under her foot, falling into the path of the car. It was a mere speed bump, though. Silvia glanced around again and then something blue sprouted from her arms. Then, she _flew_ out in front of the car. She crouched down and put her shoulder into the car _stopping it instantly_. The driver and his companion bailed out of the car, swearing. In a few more cat leaps, I was in front of the driver.

"Where do you think you're going?" I growled. He screamed like a girl, shouting out more profanity. I grabbed him, dragging him over to the stopped police cars, "You looking for this guy?" I asked an officer who had gotten out of his car. He stood, mouth opened. I got that reaction a lot.

"This guy was with him," Silvia spoke up, dragging the second behind her.

"Thank you; we'll take it from here," A veteran cop said. I gave him a nod, passing off the criminal. Another one took Silvia's, "Can we have your names to give you credit for the capture?" I shook my head.

"Just doing my job as a citizen, officer," I sounded corny even to my own ears. I turned away hurriedly, as did Silvia. We went into the Chinese restaurant and sat in the most private booth in the restaurant.

"That was amazing," I complimented her.

"What do you mean?" She refused to look me in the eyes.

"Kicking the lamp post, flying, stopping the car with your shoulder, pick one," Silvia shook her head.

"The lamp post fell on its own, cheaply built. I ran in front of the car that stopped by itself," I laughed.

"That's a pathetic lie."

"But it isn't," I leaned towards her.

"Come on, you can tell me."

"Tell you what?" She made the mistake of looking into my eyes. She smiled, "If I say what really happened, you swear not to tell?"

"What, you don't trust me?" She looked away, stirring her spoon in her egg flour soup.

"Strangely, yes, I do trust you," she took a deep breath, "Okay, here's the deal. I inherited my parents' super powers."

"Uncle Hego's super strong and Aunt Chloe...?"

"Can fly. She can fly and I can fly."

"How?" She took another deep breath.

"Look under the table," she whispered. I leaned down to see her arm. I watched as long blue feathers sprouted from her arm.

"That's so cool," I murmured.

"Is everything all right?" I jerked up to see our waitress staring at me.

"Yeah, um, I'll take the sweet and sour pork with fried rice, please."

"I'll have the vegetarian rice bowl, please," she wrote down our orders and then walked away.

"You have to swear never to tell anyone."

"Why?"

"Why?! Because if my parents found out...I don't know what they would think. And if anyone else knew, I'd be a freak," I glared at her, "Oh, sorry," she played with her soup some more, "It is liberating, though, having someone else know."

"No one else knows?"

"Except for Laszlo, and he's usually the one who covers for me if I slip up. Don't tell anyone," she said gravely. I grinned.

"Depends on if you introduce me to Andrew," Silvia looked at me a minute and then it clicked.

"Oh, ew, he's your half-uncle!"

"I'm adopted, remember?" She rolled her eyes.

"That sounds like a card you're going to pull out whenever it's convienent for you, but I guess you have a point. So, I hook you up with Andrew and you don't tell?"

"Sure, but I promise nothing," I smiled. Silvia laughed.

"I guess I'm just going to have to trust you," she said.

&&&

The rest of the ride was also in silence. I didn't feel like talking to anyone, even Silvia. I must've dozed off, because next thing I know, I hear someone calling me.

"Deseerah, Deseerah," I sat up, my eyes flashing open. Aunt Chloe had jumped back in surprise, "We're here," she whispered. Everyone else had fallen asleep, too. Quietly, Aunt Chloe helped me get my luggage and we stole out the motor home.

"It's amazing how much faster it is to get home it is with the higher speed limits. Speed limits used to be a lot slower," she laughed, "Now I sound like my dad."

We were in the middle of a forest. It was a steep incline to a large house that blended into the forest except for the single light that shown in a window. My muscles tensed.

"Tigress is definetely a night owl, 3 o'clock at night," Aunt Chloe shook her head. She turned to me, "It's best if I don't go up there."

"Why?" I asked. Aunt Chloe shook her head again.

"I don't want to spoil your first impression. If you need anything, you can call us at any time," she gave me a slip of paper. I stuffed it into my jeans pocket without even looking at it.

"I'm sorry for acting like a jerk. It's not your fault I have to be here," I apologized. Aunt Chloe waved her hand.

"Water under the bridge. I don't know anyone except for crazy Shego who thinks this'll turn out good," Aunt Chloe turned back to the motor home. I turned to the house.

It wasn't hard to carry my bags up the steep incline. The hard part was bringing myself to knock. There was no turning back once I knocked. Whatever she was, she was; I couldn't imagine otherwise once I saw her. I knocked, hard and sharp. A minute passed and I thought about knocking again (or just walking in) when the door opened.

She didn't say "hello". She didn't call my name or even smile. She stood there, sizing me up. This didn't bother me too much; I was too preoccupied with the fact that I had found someone like me. All this time, I had assumed I was unique, a one-of-a-kind original freak, but she was almost exactly like me. Her hair was red and silky like mine, except hers went to the floor while mine went to my hips. Her eyes were dark brown like mine, her features were cattish like mine down to the claws. Our fur was different; I had stripes like hers, but my fur was golden yellow while hers was a fiery orange. She was dressed in a negligee and I surreptitiously glanced at her...you know. There was a large, obvious lump on one of them, erasing the suspicion that she had lied about the breast cancer.

"Come on in," she said coldly, walking away. I followed her. She led me up a staircase to a dark room, "Here's the guest room. We'll talk in the morning," she said, walking away. I knew it was 3 in the morning, but seriously, she's the one who dragged me away from my family.

I curled up under the covers, clothes and all, and fell asleep.

&&&

Lol, I never think about the future, so everyone likes the 2000's better than the present and use that decade's electronics and stuff. Call me uncreative, but I don't like writing futuristic stories. We're supposed to be focusing on the characters! Anyway, uh, please review before I start ranting.


	5. Chapter 5, TheygoAmy

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but DJ, Duckie, War Hawk, Andrew, Carmen, Carmen the second, Cassandra, Tomik, Silvia, Laszlo, Theygo and Tigress.

Theygo was looking through most of the photos for the first time. She was amazed; she never realized how sad her eyes looked. Glancing at Amy's sober face, she could tell that she had known all along.

"After awhile, you just...disappeared," she said quietly, fanning the photographs out. Theygo then saw she was right. She was in every picture, then every other picture, then scarcely at all. Amy's face spiked into a grimace, "He took you," Theygo inwardly flinched.

"It was my fault. I was so stupid...even if he did love me, I shouldn't have let him isolate me the way he did."

"That's not love, Bethy."

"Yes, it is. Kind of sick and twisted, but he loved me. I know that," Even if I didn't love him as much as I thought, Theygo added. She glanced at Drew. He seemed as unconvinced as Amy.

But he did love her. In her heart of hearts, she knew he had, even if it was an abusive relationship.

**&&&**

Bethy had to admit to herself; he was using his powers more. For more painful things. She knew that they were beginning to notice how she spent less time with them and more time with him. She couldn't help it. But she was also happy she couldn't help it. He was so refreshingly different than Drew. She had to keep dating him a secret from her mother, like a game. Dating him was exciting, passionate, a rush. Almost dangerous.

Carmen was standing by her locker when the final bell rang.

"I need to talk to you, alone," she said clearly, watching as Yougo approached. Bethy glanced at him.

"What's up?" He said casually. Carmen seemed repulsed by his smile, Bethy couldn't understand why.

"I'm just going to go get something to eat with Carmen, okay?" He frowned.

"Sure," he said carefully. Bethy was relieved. For a minute, she thought he was going to say "no".

They went and sat at their favorite booth at the local burger joint "Chicken Joe's Beef". No one understood the name, not even the owner, but it was the cheapest place to eat.

"Bethy, we need to talk about your choice of boyfriend," Carmen stated, looking around. There was no one else in sight.

"What about Yougo?" Bethy asked, sipping on her cola. Carmen took a deep breath.

"You're spending a lot of time with him, don't you think?"

"He's my boyfriend, of course I spend a lot of time with him."

"You never hang out with us anymore. Like when we went to the roller rink last week, who was the only one who didn't come?"

"Yougo wanted to eat out that night."

"So, you're just going to forget about us?"

"No, never!" Bethy shouted, grabbing Carmen's hand. She looked away, embarassed by her own display of weakness, "You don't know what I'm going through," Bethy said softly.

"It sounds like a controlling relationship," Carmen said. Bethy shook her head.

"No, it's not like that."

"Then why does he control everything you do?" Bethy opened her mouth, and then closed it. She wouldn't believe her even if she said the truth; that he could control minds with his eyes.

"He loves me; he loves me so much," she murmured instead, knowing it was the truth.

"We love you, too, Bethy!"

"It isn't the same; it's so...you'll know someday."

"Don't be so condescending, Bethy, I'm the same age as you. And he's not your true love, your, your Prince Charming. He's just a bully," Bethy bristled.

"I love Yougo."

"He's not good for you, Drew is!" Carmen covered her mouth. Bethy stood.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but Drew and I are only friends, that's all we'll ever be! And I'm sorry you don't trust him, but I love Yougo! If you don't get this, then why are we even friends?!" Bethy burst out of the restaurant without a glance back. If she couldn't accept that her and Yougo were a couple and she was never going to be with Drew, well, that was her problem, wasn't it?

**&&&**

Amy lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to Carmen blasting her radio. Something had happened when she went to go talk to Bethy at Chicken Joe's Beef. Now, she had locked herself in her room.

"Carrie?" Amy asked gently.

"Come in," Carmen choked. Amy approached her. Her eyes were red, her cheeks glistening. She turned down the radio, "Was that bothering you?" Carmen asked.

"No, well, yes, but because I knew it meant something was wrong with you," Amy sat beside her sister. Carmen looked at her sister.

"I'm afraid, Ames. I'm really afraid. Yougo's got such a hold on Bethy...if he breaks up with her, I don't think she'll ever get over it. But if she doesn't...what if something really bad happens to her?" Carmen's voice trembled. Amy's head was spinning. Nothing ever upset Carmen. She was the sure, strong, stable one, the one that kept everyone in line. Were they really going to loose Bethy? Amy couldn't imagine the group without their most eccentric, vibrant member.

She wrapped her arms around Carmen, trying to support her like Carmen had always supported her.

"Bethy's not in love," Carmen murmured softly, "Bethy's not in love."

&&&

"I forgot all about Chicken Joe's Beef," Drew laughed, bringing both girls, now women, back to the present. He was showing the picture to Tim, the picture where all of them (minus Yougo) had been celebrating Amy's fourteenth birthday.

"I was shocked myself when I saw Bueno Nacho in its place," Tim added.

"Man, that was a great place to eat. Why would a place like that ever get closed down?"

"Salmonella poisoning," Amy reminded him, the picture sending fresh pain blasting from her chest. It was the last time they spent time alone with Bethy without Yougo.

"But I thought it didn't serve poultry," Drew said. Amy smirked.

"Exactly," Theygo traced Carmen's figure in one of the pictures.

"She only wanted what was best for me," Theygo murmured. She shook her head, "I must've been downright cruel to drive everyone away like that. I know it's a little late, but I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Everyone's heads snapped towards Amy. She hadn't hidden her resentment towards Theygo, so the easy forgiveness came as a surprise. Amy looked into Theygo's eyes, "I just can't believe you stayed with him for as long as you did, especially after what Drew told you."

&&&&&

Please review.


	6. Chapter 6, Deseerah

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but DJ, Duckie, War Hawk, Andrew, Carmen, Carmen the second, Cassandra, Tomik, Silvia, Laszlo, Theygo and Tigress.

I was waking up, but it didn't smell like my room, not even like my house or a friend's house. My eyes flashed open, suddenly alert. Oh, that's right, I was halfway across the continent. I took in my surroundings. I was on a comfortable mattress curled up inside a quilt. I untangled myself and stretched out. Oh, that sunlight through the window felt good! I shook myself and decided to just go downstairs.

Tigress was already up eating at a small table, eggs and bacon by the smell of it. She glanced at me, gave some kind of sneer-smile, and turned back to her breakfast. I hesitated, waiting politely for permission or something. She gave me a baffled look that practically said, "Are you stupid? Why are you standing there? Do you have a problem?" I went into the kitchen. I could see that Mom's manners would be wasted on her.

She had left out some raw eggs and bacon at least. Dad had insisted on teaching Duckie, me, and Mom how to cook, though it didn't go over well with Mom, who kept setting off the smoke detector. Before, it had been no use to me ("I don't want fur in my food!"...guess who?). I fixed myself some crisp bacon and scrambled eggs and then, reluctantly, joined Tigress. She smiled at me and, though I'm sure it was innocent enough, it looked sinister to my biased eyes. I sat in the only other chair, across from her.

"It's so nice to see you again, Deseerah," she purred, in the figurative sense.

"I go by DJ," I said coldly. She seemed almost pleased at my cold, to some unnecessary, demeanor.

"So, DJ, we have a lot of catching up to do. First things first, how's the family?"

"I thought you knew my mom," Tigress sighed.

"We haven't stayed in touch over the years. When I talked with her, she didn't care to fill me in," I didn't like this. I felt hostile in a situation when I would usually be calm and just as pleasant as her. We had the same trick.

"I'm popular at my school," I offered. A dark light shone in her eyes.

"That always makes life easier, to be well-liked," A wry expression crossed her face. She motioned towards me, "How do they respond to you?"

"They're shocked at first, obviously, but most accept it. Duckie's either complaining about my cattiness or complaining that I'm not catty enough. She can't make up her mind," I laughed.

"Duckie?"

"My sister."

"Shego's daughter?"

"She's adopted, like me," Tigress nodded, as though this confirmed something, "What about you? Do you have a family?" I tried to keep the resentment out of my voice. She laughed.

"If I didn't even keep you, what would make you think I'd try to start again? Humans are so weak and there are so, so few of us left."

"There are more?" I asked incredulously. She stood up and took her plate to the sink.

"There are no off-limits here, I have nothing to hide, and I'm not big on rules. There's a Corvette in the garage with the keys in the ignition; come and go as you please," she announced. In that case, I was heading out.

I changed quickly into an old t-shirt and shorts and slipped out the door.

The woods here were thick, just like back home, but the trees were leafy instead of bristly pines. I climbed up to the very top branch of a tree and looked around. We were on a small mountain range that enclosed a huge, huge city. Not that I hadn't seen cities before, but it was so isolated. No suburbs, no rural areas besides the mountains, just one big city with skyscrapers and nerve-grating noises and sickening odors. Go City also sat on a bay, or the Atlantic Ocean, or a large lake, geography had never been my strong suit. Jutting out of the water was a tall building that spelled out "GO". Wonder who lived there...

I explored the mountains until night fell and then figured I should head back. When I returned to Tigress's house, I was cleaning my mouth. A rabbit had crossed my path, it smelled good, I was hungry and, well...I couldn't resist.

"Good hunting?" I jumped as Tigress caught me by surprise. I covered my mouth, but from the amused look in her eyes, I could tell she had seen.

"Yeah," I muttered quietly. She laughed.

"You're acting like you killed an endangered animal. It was just a rabbit, and we all know how they breed."

"Mom doesn't allow me to hunt. She says it's wrong to kill when there's plenty of food in the grocery store," I explained, my hand dropping away.

"Shego's not here, now is she?" Tigress grinned, "I'll betcha my last breath I know the real reason Shego won't let you hunt," she walked away, calling over her shoulder, "It's absolutely fine to hunt. Humans do it all the time and they aren't considered monsters. Usually."

I went upstairs, rolling my eyes at Tigress. I fished the cellphone out of my bag and turned it on. I had 14 messages on my voicemail and 52 text messages. Great, I had work to do.

2 hours later, my business was finished. I wondered about the time difference but that didn't seem to bother anyone. So, I decided to check in at home. It rang twice and I worried they weren't home. Then...

"I'vegotitgiveittomeMommyMommyMommy."

"GET OFF OF ME, I'VE BEEN WAITING ALL DAY!"

"YOU HAVE NO LIFE! THIS IS A SOCIAL EMERGENCY!"

"Girls, girls, settle..."

"OW! CHEAP SHOT!"

"Duckie, pushing your mother to the ground when you know she can't walk well..." There was a thud.

"Are you guys okay?" I asked.

"Peachy," Duckie trilled. It sounded like she was running.

"DUCKIE COME BACK HERE!" Mom yelled. I heard a door slam and lock.

"Are you in the bathroom?"

"It's the only place that locks in the house, isn't it?"

"Why couldn't you just have put me on speaker phone?" I sighed, curling up on my bed.

"'Cause I'm in a selfish mood. Anyway, how's Garfield?" I glanced at the door, but heard nothing.

"I don't know. She's secretive yet open. It's like she has something to hide but wants me to figure it out."

"Have you been getting into some catnip?"

"No! If you were here, you'd understand. She's calm and I've been giving her jab after jab. She can't be trusted, but she's done nothing to me but been nice. Almost too nice," I muttered.

"Yep, you're on catnip. Listen, you don't like it when people judge you. Don't judge your mother based on superstitions made 16 years ago; it's like reading a 5 year old magazine for current events."

"Speaking of current events, you haven't exactly been the best replacement," I teased.

"DJ, I tried, but really I don't give a darn who goes out with who and wears what and breaks up with who. I'm amazed how you can keep track of such useless information. By the way, Mark's been bugging me about the gf sitch again," I sighed.

"Tell him to chilll out and that I'm working with a new East Coast selection. Can't you even manage that?"

"I don't give a darn about people; they can all fall off the face of the earth for what I care."

"Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who can keep the school's student population from completely errupting into chaos. If I can't trust you, my sister, my partner-in-crime, how can I leave for any length of time?" Duckie was quiet for a rare moment, "Duckie?"

"I'm here, just thinking. I've gotta go; Mom's about to bust down the door and our cellphone bill's going to be through the roof for the next few months."

"Oh, okay then. Love you, Duckie."

"Love you too, Puss in Boots. I'll pass on the kitty love to Mom and Dad. But, and if you use this against me I swear I'll hurt you... come home soon," I smiled.

"I will, Duckie. Stay out of trouble."

"Not a chance."

"Bye."

"Bye," she hung up first. I suddenly felt very hollow. I remembered this feeling; my first sleepover, my first week of school, the first weekend I spent at a school function without one of my parents chaparoning.

I was way too old, but I had to admit. I was homesick.

&&&

I spent the week exploring the mini-string of mountains until I knew everything by sight, scent, taste, and feel. Tigress, though never leaving the house, seemed engrossed with some private agenda, so I had no obligation to talk to her.

Finally, I decided to make my way into the city. I dressed in a red shirt and a denim skirt with black high heeled boots. I was about to call Silvia to ask her to come along, but then realized I didn't have the slightest clue what her number would be. I found in my purse a credit card in my name with a handwritten note attached to it. It said;

Go City has some of the best shops in the world, I should know. Have fun and remember your family when you're shopping :)

Love always, Mom

I smiled and tucked the note in my pocket.

The Corvette was wonderful to drive. Well, anything was wonderful compared to Dad's hunk of junk. The traffic was horrendous, so I just found a parking lot and decided to walk. I was aware of the stares I received, but these weren't the stares of amazement I was used to. They were stares of fear and horror. I tried to look into their eyes, but they turned away. The sidewalks were crowded, yet I was given a wide berth. I glanced around. I mean, I knew what I was, but I didn't think I looked scary. I couldn't stay in the stores; the other customers whispered and stared and the employees watched me with trepidation.

I slipped into the library in defeat. It didn't look like anyone would give me the benefit of the doubt. I mean, cats weren't that evil. At least half of the people were working or reading and I felt a little less conspicuous. I went over to the teens section and saw a pleasant surprise.

"Cassie," I said softly. She glanced up from her book and looked startled. I came and sat beside her, "Finally, someone who understands. I swear, everyone acts like I'm going to just suddenly spring on them or something. How are you doing?"

"Fine," she murmured. I think my enthusiasm scared her. I keyed myself down, glancing at her book.

"Whatcha reading?"

"Oh, nothing," she said hurriedly, closing it.

""Automechanics"? Isn't that like cars?" I asked, truly interested. She paused.

"Mostly, yeah."

"You like cars?" A shy smile slipped out.

"I like any machines, or technology."

"Really? You must be a genius," she shook her head.

"No, no, I'm nowhere near a genius. I just like taking things apart, putting them back together, improve them even maybe. I'm weird," she shook her head.

"I think it's great you like that kind of stuff," I said. She arched an eyebrow.

"Really?" She questioned.

"Would I lie to you?" I asked. She thought a minute.

"I guess not," she said softly.

We talked for a long time. She went into a lot of technical stuff and I tried as hard as I could, but she might as well have been speaking Latin. I liked Cassie; she was a really nice girl, if only she wasn't so timid. She looked like a small animal, trembling and waiting as though I was going to tear her throat out. But the longer we talked, the more at ease she was until she was no longer tense. I remembered seeing previews for a robotic, carlike movie and asked her about it. We ditched the library and walked to the local movie theater. Talking with her had made me forget how others reacted to me. Like when we went to go get some popcorn to munch on before the movie. The guy stared at me a long time. I was getting pretty agitated with the staring.

"Could you stop staring at me? Please?" I tried to keep my voice as level as I could, but my anger shone through. He hurried and I looked at Cassie. She shrugged.

"No charge," he said. I smiled.

"Thank you," I said, a little surprised by his generousity.

"No problem," he whimpered. I grabbed the popcorn and we headed towards the movie.

"That was nice of him," I commented.

"I think he was afraid of you," Cassie said softly. I laughed.

"Afraid of me? Why? Because I got a little impatient? Or was it the whole "oh-my-gosh-it's-a-cat-woman" thing?" Cassie shook her head.

"I don't think it's that; you were pretty calm compared to what Carmen would have done, and we come here a lot. I think it's your mom's influence on the city," I looked at her.

"Okay, I'm getting sick of this. Why won't anyone tell me what my mother did to make everyone so afraid of her and wary of me?" Cassie was quiet as we took two seats somewhere in the middle.

"I wish I could tell you," she murmured.

"Then why don't you?" Cassie took a couple pieces of popcorn.

"The adults would get mad at me. I think they want to tell you, but only if they have to," I sank down into my seat. Great. I was never going to know, would I?

&&&

"Hey, Aunt Chloe...I know I'm an hour late. I went to a movie with DJ..." Cassie was quiet after that. We were outside, the movie just getting out, and Cassie was checking in.

"Okay, I'll ask her...See you soon...bye," she hung up.

"Did I get you into much trouble?" I asked sheepishly. She shook her head.

"After I said I was with you, she calmed down and invited you over for dinner. Can you?" She asked. I nodded.

"Sounds great," I agreed, warming at the thought of seeing Andrew again. She started walking and I followed.

"You'll really like Kim," she said. Whoever Kim was.

&&&&&

Please review.


	7. Chapter 7, TimDrewTheygo

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but DJ, Duckie, War Hawk, Andrew, Carmen, Carmen the second, Cassandra, Tomik, Silvia, Laszlo, Theygo and Tigress.

"Prom," Theygo smiled wryly. She turned to Amy, "I didn't know Carmen went with Drew."

"She didn't want him to feel bad that he couldn't get a date," she said and then realized Drew was sitting right beside her, "Sorry, Drew."

"Like I didn't know that," he grumbled.

"Did you go to prom that year?" Theygo asked Amy. Amy shook her head.

"I was grounded."

"For what?"

"I was failing science," she said sheepishly. Theygo laughed.

"It's scary how you became a brain surgeon... You didn't miss anything. Anything you'd want to know, anyway," Theygo sent a knowing look to Drew. Drew blushed, hard. Amy laughed.

"Oh, Carmen filled me in," she teased. Tim looked at the girls.

"What are you talking about?" He asked The girls looked at him incredulously.

"You don't know what happened that night between me and Drew?" Theygo asked.

"I know you two disappeared," Tim defended, remembering the last night he saw Drew before prom.

**&&&**

It was the night before prom and they were working on something science related, he had forgotten what. He wanted to ask about how he was doing without Bethy, but Yougo was there. He didn't seem to be helping much, grinning to himself over something.

"Are you and Bethy going to the prom?" Drew asked casually. Tim gave him points for having the guts to bring her up.

"Yeah, we're going to swing by, then get dinner...then go to her place..." His grin got bigger, "Her mom's not home."

"Strange, she never leaves Bethy alone," Drew said, still focusing on the task. Gosh, what had they been doing? This was going to keep him up all night!

"Perfect timing, too. I can't wait, I think she's going to give in," Drew looked up, furrowing his brow.

"Give in to what?"

"Come on. Don't make me spell it out," he chuckled. Drew shook his head.

"I really don't catch your drift," Yougo just laughed.

"You know what I mean," Was all he said, and then went quiet again.

**&&&**

Drew knew that Carmen had chosen him out of the dozens of boys that had asked her because she felt sorry for him. He could barely dance without hurting himself or others, anyway, so mostly he watched her dance with the boys she had turned down for him. It was fine; they were just friends, after all.

It startled him when he felt someone's hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Drewbie," Bethy said softly. Drew looked up at her. She looked troubled and sad.

"Hey, Bethy. Where's Yougo?" He tried not to sound wary. She forced a laugh.

"He's sitting this dance out, muttered something about saving his energy. You want to?" She asked. He raised half an eyebrow.

"Of all people, you should know how well I dance," she laughed, and this time it was real.

"It's a slow dance, Drew. We just have to swing back and forth and shuffle a little," he stood up.

"You sure Yougo's okay with this?"

"Geez, Drew, he's not going to come beat you up for dancing with me," Drew thought otherwise. He led her out onto the dance floor. The dance was sea-themed, so everything was a swirl of greens and blues. They put their hands neutrally just above each others' hips, "I miss you, Drew," she admitted.

"I miss you more," he promised. She laughed.

"It's so different, the relationship I have with Yougo. It's like you and him have two definitions of dating," her voice sounded wistful, but Drew was sure he only imagined it.

"I probably was in the wrong," Drew said softly. He had never dated before, after all.

"I miss the way we dated," she breathed, not even moving her lips. Drew's eyes widened and she smiled wistfully, this time he couldn't deny it, "You were always there for me, no matter what. You listened and helped whenever you could. I guess all we were were friends, but still..." Bethy glanced over at Yougo, who was watching them with that same strange grin on his face. Drew wondered if he could lip read, "Nothing's as simple as it once was."

Drew watched Yougo. There was a look in his eyes, haughty and proud, like the look of a dominant male. It was then Yougo's words made sense. Oh my gosh, Drew's heart pounded as he looked at one of his best friends in the whole world...and then thought of his plans for her.

"We need to get out of here," he said softly. Bethy chuckled.

"Why?"

"Where is the last place Yougo would look for you?"

"I don't know, why? What's wrong, Drew?"

"I'll tell you later; right now, we need to get out of here."

And that's how Drew found himself alone with Bethy in her room, telling her of the conversation he had with Yougo. Bethy looked shocked and sad. She explained to him that it was useless to rebel against his wishes, about his mind-controlling eyes.

"You really shouldn't be with him, if he's really that dangerous," Drew warned her. Bethy sighed.

"I know, but I love him. I just...I just don't want him to be my first," she looked at him meaningfully. Drew caught on a lot quicker with the help of the context. He shook his head vigorously.

"No. No, no way."

"Drew, it's going to happen. But I don't want it to be Yougo. I want it to be you, Drew, my best friend. Besides Carmen."

Thus beginning Drakken's greatest embarrassment.

**&&&**

Bethy looked down at the test strip in her shaking hand. She had missed her monthly and she was worried, so she had let Carmen in on her sins to go buy...this. She was scared to death, these things were getting more and more accurate.

It was a blue plus.

Bethy sobbed quietly, sitting on the floor of her bathroom. Her whole life as she had known it was coming crashing to a hault.

&&&

"I told Carmen and then my mother," Theygo remembered, not feeling the same fear as she had when she was sixteen. She remembered it, but she had now lived through worse. She looked at Tim, who had quite obviously never heard the story, "My mother gave me two options; I either was going to give the baby up or marry Yougo."

"You decided to marry Yougo," Tim guessed. She nodded, "What about the baby?"

"What do you mean?"

"Does it know its father."

"Tim, I don't even know who the father is, to be honest. Some of us refuse to take a paternity test," Theygo glanced at Drew. Drew shrugged.

"Shego would have found out about the test somehow and if I turned out to be the father instead of Yougo..." he chuckled, "One of us would have to be paying for her psychologist bills for "mental scarring"."

"I haven't heard about Shego in awhile. What has she been up to lately?" Amy said cheerily, trying to distract herself from the uncomfortable subject of paternity testing. Theygo's smile turned into a frown instantly and she fell silent.

"Shego was murdered a long time ago," Drew explained, his own pain shining through his words. Amy's eyes went wide.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry I, I had no idea-"

"It's fine, Amy," Theygo cut her off. Tim cleared his throat.

"So, marrying Yougo is the problem here? Why you left Middleton? Why you and Amy haven't spoken?" Amy looked to her clueless husband.

"If only it were that painless," she said wistfully.

"Marrying Yougo was the official reason why we left Middleton. Why Amy and I haven't spoken..." Theygo trailed off, glancing at Amy, "It's not something so shallow."

&&&&&

Yeah, I know that bit about Drakken and Theygo's going to creep out the DS shippers and make the anti-DS shippers out there happy, but it does explain why they're not together, if he is her father. Lol, no one will ever know who Shego's father is. Please review.


	8. Chapter 8, Deseerah

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but DJ, Duckie, War Hawk, Andrew, Carmen, Carmen the second, Cassandra, Tomik, Silvia, Laszlo, Theygo and Tigress.

Cassie rang the doorbell. The GO Tower looked like a dwarf when I saw it before compared to now, while we stood at the base of it. The door was opened by a lanky blonde haired girl with chocolate brown eyes.

"Cassie, you're la-ate," she teased, her eyes sparkling. Cassie smiled sheepishly.

"I got distracted," she murmured. The girl laughed.

"That's nothing new...but she is," The girl's voice curled up as she spotted me. I smiled.

"I'm DJ," I extended my hand. She smiled and shook it.

"I'm Axelle, but you can call me Ella. Everyone does," she laughed. Her muscles were tense. She spun around as soon as I let go, "Aunt Chloe, Cassie's back!" She yelled. Cassie stepped in. I wiped my shoes off and then followed her in. Laszlo was talking to a boy a couple years younger than himself.

"That's the one that ripped the bear's throat out!" Laszlo exclaimed. The younger boy's green eyes went wide.

"Stop exaggerating. I didn't tear her throat out," I said.

"Blood was squirting everywhere!" Laszlo insisted. The little boy whimpered and Cassie cringed beside me. I sighed; that was what happened when you punctured an artery.

"Laszlo, stop telling your tall tales to Marton," I heard a woman's voice as she came walking towards us.

"This one's true!" He insisted. Cassie folded her arms as though feeling something cold. The woman came into view, her scent familiar. Her red hair fell freely down to the middle of her back, her green eyes bright. They reminded me of Mom's, I thought with a pang. Her eyes went wide in astonishment and she grinned.

"Dessie? Little Dessie?" I nodded slowly. That was Mom's special nickname for me, how dare she call me that? She didn't know, I guess, that that was Mom's name and Mom's name only for me.

"It seems like all of the adults know you, but you don't know any of the adults," Cassie noted.

"She was only a few months old," The woman insisted.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" I asked. Ella laughed.

"Shego's never told you about Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable?" Ella jeered.

"Well, how am I supposed to pick them out?" I snapped. Ella took a step back, as did her brother (I assumed it was her brother). I calmed myself down, "So, you're Kim Possible?"

"Kim Stoppable, but yeah," I laughed. Mom's going to love this.

Just then, the rest of the kids came down the stairs. Silvia spotted me and smiled.

"DJ!" She called.

"Hey, Silvia!" I greeted, feeling a little less awkward. I mean, I know that Kim and Mom were friends for a time, but did that cover up all the years spent as enemies? How was I supposed to react to her? And then, there was Andrew, in all his dark cuteness. He really did look ticked off all the time.

"Andie, you remember DJ?" She said off-handedly. He nodded.

"Don't you have more to say than that, Andie?" Cassie pressured. He shook his head. Silvia gave an exasperated sigh.

I went and washed my hands before going to the table out of habit. Bad mistake. The only seat left was between Uncle Hego and Carmen. Behave, I demanded myself since Mom wasn't there.

"Hey, Carmen," I said cheerfully. If looks could kill, I would have been vaporized.

"Cassie, come sit by me," Carmen demanded. Cassie looked reluctantly at her sister.

"I'm the one who came late. Cassie, do you want to move?" I asked her. She looked at Carmen as though asking for permission. Carmen wisely didn't make any signal.

"No thank you," Cassie murmured. I smiled.

"Great! Now we can get to know each other," I'd rather barf. I sat down beside her. Her glare intensified. Did anyone else notice how much of a female dog she was acting like?

Casual talk drifted through the air as we ate lasagna, none aimed at me. It seemed like everytime someone wasn't talking their eyes were on me. It was like they were expecting me to say, "You caught me, I'm a spy, I'm going back to Tigress and she's going to tell me to kill y'all so say your prayers". I had never had this much grief in Perro. I was feeling more and more homesick with each passing minute.

"So, DJ, how's Shego?" Kim finally asked me. I perked up immediately.

"Mom's doing terrific. She's out of her wheelchair now, despite that every doctor said that she'd never walk again," I boasted.

"That's great," Kim looked sad. It didn't look like she had known that Mom had been in a wheelchair.

"She finally found a guy to put up with her, though I think he's batting for the other team," Uncle Hego said. I laughed.

"Dad's straight!" I argued. Everyone was clinging to my every word. It was a little disturbing. I know Betty wouldn't let Mom talk to anyone, but still. I shook my head, trying to get rid of the wondering.

"Oh," Kim said. I apparently had answered a question I hadn't listened to. Uncle Hego glanced at me, but said nothing. The conversation turned away from me again. I tried to strike up a conversation with Carmen, but every attempt was shot down. This was really ticking me off.

"Dinner was delicious," I commented as we finished. Aunt Chloe beamed.

"Thank you."

"I'll do dishes," Kim offered.

"I'll help," I said, standing.

"No, it's okay."

"It's the least I can do," I said, taking mine and Carmen's plates. Kim thought a minute.

"No, really, it's fine. Ron," she gave her husband a knowing look. He sighed and stood. They left for the kitchen not even taking any dishes.

"You can help clear if you really want to help, DJ," Aunt Chloe said. I smiled at her and took the plates over.

I was about to go in when I heard a heated discussion going on. I paused, knowing that curiousity killed the cat, but too curious to interrupt.

"Did you see the way her eyes lit up when she talked about Shego? That's the happiest I've seen her all night."

"Kim, I know what Yori told me. I know the dreams Honna and I have been having since she was born. Deseerah is the Prodigy."

"I don't believe it. She's the same sweet kitten she was when Drakken found her."

"She has a temper. Didn't you hear her snap at Ella?"

"She's not going to be completely devoid of Tigress's personality. But you can tell, she's trying to be good. Carmen's been a real biscuit towards her tonight. Plus, in your dream, this "Prodigy" strangles Tigress without even touching her. No matter how t.o.ed she is about being here, you think she's going to kill Tigress," I didn't want to hear anymore. I walked in and set the dishes in the sink. They both jumped out of their skins.

"Did I scare you?" I asked, flashing a smile.

"How much did you hear?" Kim demanded. I shrugged, thinking about lying. Nah.

"Eyes lit up on," I said truthfully. Kim glared at Ron. He looked unapologetic, "What is this prodigy thing you were talking about?"

"It's nothing. Just a dream," Kim said quickly.

"Tell me the truth," I demanded gently.

"It's a prophecy my Sensei saw...before he was murdered," he added, glaring accusingly at me, "About an all-powerful child that is Shego's daughter," I laughed.

"Well, I can assure you, I'm not all-powerful. Not even close," I continued laughing. Rude, yeah, but it was still the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard. All-powerful? No one was all powerful except for God. I cleared off the rest of the table and then excused myself.

"I really don't want to impose anymore than I already have," I said.

"You're not imposing!" Aunt Chloe insisted.

"I should be going. Thank you again for inviting me over, dinner was delicious," I started inching towards the door.

"It's not safe walking around alone, even if you are half-liger," My jaw almost dropped open as did everyone's within hearing distance, as Andrew spoke. He walked up beside me, and Carmen smirked.

"So, one of the mute speak," Carmen mocked. She elbowed Tomik in the ribs, "Why don't you give talking a try?" She teased. He gave her a disbelieving look. He opened the door for me and we walked out.

We walked for a long time in silence and rode most of the bus ride in silence. I was just happy he decided to come with me. He stared out the window, deep in thought. So many times I wanted to ask him what he was thinking. And then, he did speak.

"Stay away from the Stoppables. Well, except for Kim. Kim doesn't think you're that prodigy nonsense. But Ella and Marton...they're strong believers," he warned me.

"You make it sound like it's a cult," I said. He laughed darkly.

"I don't get girls. They're either too shy and get other girls to ask the guy out or are way too pushy. I don't see what's the big deal about asking them out casually," he changed the subject.

"Which kind am I?" I asked, curious. He smiled.

"Somewhere in between. You're not afraid to talk to me, but you're still too shy to just come out and say you like me," I felt hot under my fur.

"Everyone else is appalled by me. I thought you were no different," I remembered the way he stared at me that first day.

"I think you're wonderful. You're confident, but not cocky. You're cunning, but not cruel. You're not wild, but you're not tame. You are such a nice break from the ordinary."

"You don't think I'm weird?" I self-consciously tucked a strand of hair back. He looked at me and grinned.

"Of course I think you're weird. But that's why I have a crush on you," I stood as it came to my stop. He stood with me and gently took my face in his hands. Softly, he kissed me and then let me go.

"See you later, then," I murmured, feeling dizzy.

"Would it be too forward to call you my girlfriend?" He asked. I smiled.

"Not at all."

&&&

I felt light as air as I walked through the front door of Tigress's place. Not that I wasn't used to getting whatever guy I wanted, but this time...it was different. He came to me because I was too shy to go to him. It felt like an oxymoron, calling myself shy. But I had been. He liked that I was a freak. That shouldn't be new, either, but in this stupid city that had a bias against me, it felt reassuring. My contentment vanished as I saw Tigress.

Her legs were curled up to her chest, her arms wrapped around her torso like she was falling apart. Her head was leaned back, angry sounds of anguish still getting through her clenched teeth. Tears were streaming from her squeezed-shut eyes, her body's muscles extremely tight. Despite myself, I felt sorry for her. I mewed softly like a kitten, approaching her slowly. She didn't notice. I sat beside her and wrapped my arms around her comfortingly.

She yowled at me and I flew to the other side of the couch, hissing.

"What the..." The rest of her sentence was a string of profanity, her yellow eyes blazing as she glared at me.

"I was only trying to comfort you!" I yelled.

"Like that's going to solve anything!" She yelled back. I started licking my shoulder, even though she hadn't hurt me physically. I felt like I had just been slapped in the face. I was reaching out to her, just like everyone wanted me to, and this was what I got?!

She calmed down, her body still in anguish, but also sad.

"I didn't think it would hurt this bad. It's just a lump on my chest, right? Why get surgery and loose one of my breasts when it might not even save me? Why go through chemo and have my beautiful hair and fur fall out only to look like a naked mole rat yet still be dying? Why live my last days in a stupid hospital with all those stupid tubes sticking out of my arms and a breathing mask and all those pitying looks when I could just die here, at the only home I've ever known?" During her monologue, I crept closer to her instinctively.

It was like when I was younger, when Mom was in so much pain. How she'd find a way to be alone and then let herself sob and feel pity for herself. But I always found her. I always curled up on her lap and dried her tears and brought a smile to her face. And then Mom grew stronger. Mom forced herself to walk again. She forced herself past the self-pity. She lived again. She always said I was the reason why she kept going. That's the only thing I've ever doubted that she's told me. It's just her personality not to give up.

"You are your father's daughter," she said quietly, looking down at me curled up beside her. I perked up.

"My father?"

"He was that kind of guy that made everyone happy. Knew just what to say to make you smile. Knew the things you wanted and would do them for you," she frowned, "That's why I hated him."

"I'm a mistake, aren't I? You never meant to have me," I said sourly.

"I did want you, for a time. Female animal instinct, you know, to want to have a baby. But I wanted him with me. I wanted him all to myself. I did love him, but that's what ruined me. You see, with one male and about five females, you can't exactly claim the male. So I got mad, but I kept you because deep down, I wanted to continue the human-cat race. But you were such a pain; you always needed me and I was just waiting for you to grow up to get rid of you. I didn't wait and just dumped you in some back alley, hoping you'd starve to death and cause Bartholomew pain," she had a very pleased expression on her face, like it was the best plan she ever made.

I kept my anger and fury to myself; I'd rant to Duckie later. Plus, I got a mom that did love me out of this twisted plot.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" I asked instead, somehow keeping the bitterness out of my voice. She looked surprised, probably expecting me to blow my top, and then smirked.

"Not anything your precious mommy would approve of," she hissed. I tensed. She had no reason to be mad at Mom.

"Tell me anyway," I demanded. She looked wistfully into space.

"I've been craving human for a long time, but I'm too weak to hunt for myself."

"Human?"

"You should try it. It's delicious, but I suppose immoral from your viewpoint," she sighed, "Humans wiped us out because they were afraid of us. But humans wipe out a lot of species out of greed," she mused.

And then, my mind went down a dark path. There were billions of humans, weren't there? And among those billions were humans that other humans thought wasteful; druggies, murderers, those alone and abandoned in this world. Even some humans that didn't even want to live. What would it hurt if they died to feed another?

I went up and called Duckie that night, told her everything that had happened today.

"Prodigy child? That's ridiculous!" She exclaimed.

"I agree," I murmured.

"I mean, seriously, that person could really screw things up! You'd tell me if you were a prodigy child, wouldn't you?" Her voice was bordering hysteria.

"Yeah, of course. Listen, Duckie, what would you think if I murdered someone?"

"Like the president?"

"No, like some random person who had no other connections in this world, nothing to live for, etc?" Duckie paused.

"You don't want to know what I think. Did Tigress give you that idea?"

"Yeah," I admitted.

"She's weird," Duckie commented. I laughed.

"She's more than weird, she's psychotic," I declared, pushing the murder thoughts out of my head.

&&&&&

I'm so excited, I just made a baby forum for Kim Possible. It still needs some adjustments, but if anyone wants to check it out go to my homepage on my author page. Apparently it doesn't like being typed into this document. Please review.


	9. Chapter 9, DrewTheygoAmy

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but DJ, Duckie, War Hawk, Andrew, Carmen, Carmen the second, Cassandra, Tomik, Silvia, Laszlo, Theygo and Tigress.

"You have my wedding pictures?" Theygo asked.

"Carmen had the photographer copy a few," Amy explained.

"You look so sad in them," Drew murmured.

"It wasn't exactly my fairy tale ending," Theygo admitted, "I had just had Shego and now I was getting married. Yougo was talking about villainy, and I was surprised that I liked the idea... I was scared out of my mind."

"You would never know that day; you just looked like a bride with jitters," Drew recalled that day well. It was the day he had met Shego.

**&&&**

"Hold her," Carmen instructed. She dropped the week-old infant into Drew's waiting arms and without pausing, rushed into the bride's dressing room. He sighed.

"Everything is so hectic. Everyone's running around like chickens with their heads cut off and everytime I try to help they say it's handled," he adjusted her to support her head. She gurgled as though in agreement, "You must be Shego. I'm Drew. We would've met before except your dad and mom have been hiding you away while they finish up these last minute preparations."

He started doing a rock-bounce motion. Her green eyes just gazed up at him in wonderment. She sure had a lot of hair for a baby, he thought. It looked like someone had stuck a black toupee on her head. He smiled; she was very pretty. He wished that she was his.

"Shego, that's an unusual name. I heard from Carmen your father picked it out. If your mother had a choice, she probably would have given you a pretty name," Baby Shego began to fuss. Drew felt his insides twist as though he himself was feeling her pain, "Please don't cry, Shego. Nothing's going to happen. I promise, no, vow that as long as I live, I'll take care of you," he said dramatically. Her mouth opened in an attempt to smile. Drew laughed, "I know, you don't think there's any danger in this world, but there are. And I'll be right here, whenever you need me, and I won't leave you. Ever."

As though a premonition of her personality, she spat up on herself and Drew as though his dramatic speech had made her sick. Drew wrinkled his nose.

"Maybe bouncing you up and down after you apparently just ate was not the best idea."

He couldn't deny that it was hard being there, being Yougo's best man even. It was hard carrying their daughter down the aisle helping her toss the petals like a flower girl did, knowing that it might be her blood flowing through her veins instead of his. It was hard watching that manipulator kiss and marry the only girl that had meant anything to him. But at least Shego was behaving, fussing a little but mostly behaving. And at least he knew that Bethy loved Yougo and he was willing to accept that he wasn't the one as long as she was happy.

**&&&**

It was only getting worse, she thought, standing on the rooftop looking out at the ocean surrounding their rental lair on an abandoned island. He had forced her to legally change her name to Theygo, which was absolutely the worst name ever in her opinion. But she did it, because she loved him. And they started their life of crime, because she loved him. And a million other changes, because she loved him.

She watched Shego as she slept in her arms. The dang baby had colic, so if she skipped giving her the medication once...she would be up all night with an upset stomach. But that was the worst of Shego. She hadn't seen a lot of babies, but Shego wasn't overly difficult. She was so beautiful, practically angelic. She guessed all mothers felt like that, but she knew it was true.

"Bethy, we need to talk."

"Carmen, you shouldn't be here," Theygo turned around, "And my name's not Bethy anymore; it's Theygo."

"I don't want to hear anything that has to do with that man," she hissed.

"He's my husband," Thunder rolled, accentuating her statement. Carmen glanced worriedly at the clouds, "It's heat lightening; it's not going to rain," Theygo said calmly.

"This isn't you, Bethy. Ever since meeting Yougo, you've completely changed."

"That's what love is; it completely changes you."

"Not like this!" Carmen grabbed Theygo's forearm, "Why can't you see what we see?!" She cried. Theygo yanked her arm away. She was waking up Shego.

"How dare you talk about Yougo that way!" She snarled. Carmen shook her head, tears streaming down her face.

"I want my best friend back!" She begged. Theygo frowned.

"If you want me so bad, then why can't you accept the new me?"

"Because it's the old you I was friends with," she whimpered. Theygo's temper flared and a flash of lightening lit up the night.

"I'VE GROWN UP!" Theygo yelled, walking towards Carmen. Carmen backed away, "I'm not the little girl that let her mother choose her path! I'm married, I have a daughter...I can't be the carefree girl you used to hang out with anymore! Yougo is a good husband and father. If you can't see that, then I don't want to be friends with you anymore!" Carmen gasped as she slipped off the edge.

It happened so fast and so slow at the same time. Carmen grabbed her arm, pulling her down. Theygo, on maternal instinct, gently tossed Shego onto the rooftop.

They both went falling off the edge, holding onto each other. The water below was ice cold. Theygo flailed, the water too dark to tell which was was up or down. And then, the water suddenly became bright.

**&&&**

The news hit Amy as though she was watching the news. Carmen was dead. But it couldn't be true. Carmen could never die.

A pilot flying by had said that he had seen a black-haired woman with a baby push a red-headed woman off, and when the red-head fell, grabbed the black-haired woman and somehow the baby was unharmed as it fell from its mother's arms onto the roof. Another witness from a nearby inland had said the same thing.

Bethy, though hospitalized, had been unharmed by the lightening that had killed Carmen.

How could Bethy do such a thing? Tears coarsed down her face as she saw the casket holding her sister's still body. Had she really become so evil, to kill her own best friend? Somehow, imagining Yougo, she could see it.

She left Drew's side, not being able to hear the preacher talk or look at the casket or feel Drew's sobbing body shake beside her.

A car stuffed with belongings was driving by. In the passenger's seat was a woman holding her baby. Theygo and Shego and stupid Yougo. He pulled over and rolled down the window.

"I'm sorry about your loss," he said. Theygo didn't even have the guts to look her in the eyes. Amy came next to the car, looking in.

"You ever show your face around here, I won't hesitate to prosecute," she hissed. Yougo smirked. Amy wanted to strangle him.

"Fair enough," And with that, he pulled away.

Amy burst into sobs and felt arms wrap around her.

"Why? Why? Why?" She asked over and over again, leaning into him.

"I don't know," she was shocked to see Tim holding her instead of Drew. It was strange, but nice.

&&&

Theygo burst into sobs. Even after all these years, the pain hadn't dulled. Amy was crying, too. Drew and Tim were on the verge.

"Why wasn't it me?" Theygo gasped. A thousand reasons bubbled inside of Amy, but she couldn't say a single one. She came close to Theygo and wrapped her arms around her. Theygo was startled, but wrapped her own arms around Amy. Together, on each others' shoulders, they grieved Carmen's death.

&&&&&

Lol, Shego was dropped on her head as a baby. Please review.


	10. Chapter 10, Deseerah

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but DJ, Duckie, War Hawk, Andrew, Carmen, Carmen the second, Cassandra, Tomik, Silvia, Laszlo, Marton, Axelle, Theygo and Tigress.

A month passed. Tigress's health was steadily going downhill. I tried to do whatever I could to help her, but she was stubbornly independent. The Gos, Lipskys, and Stoppables had become like family to me, relatives I didn't like included. So it was no surprise when they invited me swimming at a small, slow (if it even moved) river. I accepted the invitation gladly. It was too hot even to sunbathe.

I had failed to win over Uncle Hego or Carmen, and I couldn't decide what Ella or Tomik thought of me. Other than that, I was pretty confident that I had won the rest of them over.

Marton had become like my kitten the past couple weeks. We were playing in a shallow part of the river, Kim's watchful eye on me, warning me if I started playing too rough with him. Actually, I was playing with anyone who _would_ play with me, and bugged whoever wouldn't (mostly Uncle Hego, who can be used as a raft/floatation device. Until he pushes you away with his super strength and causes a mini-tsunami).

"Man, DJ, since when are you so playful?" Andie asked. I smiled and tickled his feet to answer him. He yelped and I resurfaced, "Be careful with those claws! You're going to cut me up with those things!" He exclaimed. I giggled.

"I am not!" I insisted. I ducked back down and swam away.

A wave of homesickness gripped me. Mom took Duckie and I swimming all the time in the summer. Duckie was the one I would drag under the surface. I wanted to go home just as much as ever. I shook my head and forced the homesickness back.

Laszlo was just at the river's edge. I grinned to myself. Easy target. I burst towards the surface and snatched him off the bank, dragging him down. He started screaming and I laughed before dragging him to the bottom. He fought against me, panicking. I held on tight. He beat his fists against me and began gasping. I let him go immediately and his limbs spazzed. Oh no. Oh no. I grabbed for him again before being roughly shoved away. I went to the surface.

"What the hell is wrong with you, DJ!?!?!" Andie screamed at me. Laszlo sputtered and coughed.

"I was only playing. He was the one freaking out," I insisted.

"He can't swim!"

"And how was I supposed to know that?!" Worried and furious faces looked at me alike as I got out of the river. I shook myself off, wondering why a nine-year-old couldn't swim. Bringing that up now though would only get me grief.

Little did I know that was the beginning of the end.

&&&

I walked back to Tigress's lair, feeling frustrated. Like I was really going to let the kid drown. You'd think they'd know me better. Especially Andie.

I glanced up as I saw an unusual orange out of the color of my eye. There was a grouping of boulders that were perfect for laying out and sunning on. That was exactly what Tigress was doing, lying in a dark bikini, her eyes closed. She opened them as the wind shifted, turning towards me.

"Hey, DJ. Care to join me?" She murmured. I bristled and stalked over beside her.

"Depends. Are you going to bite my head off again?" I growled. She sighed.

"I think you're taking that a little too personally. It's been what, a month?" She huffed, "That's a great way to start a heart-to-heart, Tigie," she murmured to herself.

"What "heart-to-heart"? You pretty much told me you never wanted anything to do with me and that you dumped me in a back alley to cause my father pain," Contradictory to my words, I sprawled out on a rock beside her.

"Would you have preferred me to lie to you? Would you have preferred me to tell you I was starving and homeless and couldn't afford you or that I was a freshman in high school trying to get my diploma? I thought you deserved better than lies," she sighed, "Even as shallow and selfish as the truth is," she murmured. I thought about this for a minute.

"Guess I would prefer the truth," I admitted.

She stretched her muscles and I curled my knees towards my chest and wrapped my arms around them. I was on my side, facing her, but she remained on her back, eyes closed and arms above her head. I couldn't help but glance at her tumor. How much longer did she have?

She laughed suddenly, startling me.

"It's sad, really. I've spent so much of my life lying and manipulating that I can't even be honest. I don't know how to be loving and kind and all that sentimental crap. But I want to with you. It's a little late, and I understand if you don't want to get attached to a dying woman who's been so callous to you," she hesitated for a long time.

"I love you," she murmured. It wasn't the normal "I love you"; it sounded more like a secret, an embarrassing confession. But it was sincere.

I really wasn't sure how to react, so I just said "Thank you". We lay out in the sun until it set, then went inside and had the first meal together since I arrived.

&&&

Tigress drew closer to me and I opened up to her in turn. I still thought she was a total nutcase, but it was a forgivable form of insanity. I learned that she had been one of Team Go's enemies and that her villainy had extended for about thirty years (far longer than the average villainy life span). That made sense of everyone's hatred of her. She understood me on a level no one else did; she knew how hard it was to be part of something you either saw in the jungle or a zoo. She knew even more; she knew where we came from, our culture, and why we fell. She says she was too young to remember, but she's never looked me in the eyes when saying that. It was probably too hard to talk about.

I should probably check my cell, I realized. It had been several days since I had even turn it on. My inbox was flooded with voicemail and text messages, about half of them from Andie, Silvia, or Duckie. There was one from Mom; she tried to keep the concern out of her voice. I called her first.

"Hey, Mom."

"Dessie! I was starting to get worried," I smirked. Starting to?

"I'm sorry I haven't called. I've actually been busy getting to know Tigress."

"Really?" I couldn't judge her reaction. It was careful, like she had planned her response to me getting closer to her.

"Yeah. She's alright, but I think she's a few pills short of a prescription, if you know what I mean," Mom laughed.

"That sounds about right, if she's the girl I remember," I smiled and the homesickness came over me again.

"I miss you, Mom."

"I miss you too, sweetheart."

"How much longer do I have here?"

"Couple weeks, I think. Don't think of it like that," I groaned.

"But I miss you."

"You'll be fine," She sounded more like she was reassuring herself, "Have fun with your mom and cousins."

"Yeah, okay, tell Duckie I love her."

"Alright, love you."

"Love you, too." I heard retreating footsteps as I hung up. What was Tigress doing listening to my conversations?

I dialed the Go Tower and Cassandra picked up.

"Hey, DJ, long time no see."

"Hey, Cassie. How's everything?"

"Well, you've got the adults freaked out, since we haven't heard from you since the swimming fiasco. Silvia and I have been worried."

"Sorry, I've just…been getting to know my birth mom."

"About time," she was quiet for a minute, "Maybe we should go see a movie tonight; you, me, Andie, and Silvia. If you aren't too busy with your mom."

"I think I can spare a few hours. What time?"

&&&

"Quit it, DJ," Andie hissed. I straightened, confused. He usually liked my purr. Then again, in the middle of the theater wasn't the best place. I didn't think I was being that loud, though.

He smacked my hands away. I guess I had been kneading my claws into his thighs. My bad. The credits rolled and we got up.

"Remind me never to pick a romance again," Silvia groaned.

"Oh, I'll stop you," I assured her.

We walked out and I took Andie's hand.

"Are you okay?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said unconvincingly. I decided not to press the matter. Guys and talking about their feelings went together like water and oil.

We walked out and noticed people trying to clear the sidewalk. We looked up and saw a swarm of people clad in strange futuristic outfits gliding on snowboard type things in the sky. One took the lead and the others fell behind, the leader swooping upright a few feet away and above my head.

"Deseerah," A robotic voice called, "Today, the prophecy ends with the destruction of the Prodigy," I gave them a "wtf" look. More people were buying into this prophecy business?

"Hey, listen, there's been a misunderstanding. I'm not your-"

Before I could finish, one of them came flying down, their board knocking into my stomach. I went down on the cement like a pack of bricks.

"DJ!" Cassie screamed.

"We better get out of here, Cassie," Andie insisted.

"But-"

"DJ can handle herself," I got to my feet quickly and moved as they came for me again. A growl ripped from my throat. Dang straight I could handle myself, and I was going to handle them in a few minutes.

They dove at me again and I dodged. I heard a startled yelp and glanced back in time to see Silvia swing one of the hench men off of their board. The person fell with a hard thud. Silvia broke the board over her knee.

"We need to take this somewhere more private," she hinted. I nodded and we ran.

Only when we started running did we hear shots. Oh crap, guns. This was starting to become unfair. Silvia took the lead, going towards a more abandoned part of the city. Once there, she let her wings unfurl and took off into the sky. The gun shots echoed off of the vacant streets as another dove down towards me. I gathered my muscles, and then leapt, knocking him off. The rogue board crashed with a bit of fire into a building, the rider securely under my pounce. It squirmed.

"Get off of me! Let me go! Help, help!" I realized how small they were. A child? Doing dirty work such as this? It didn't make any sense.

"DJ!" I heard Silvia call a little too late. Someone grabbed me by the scruff of my neck, hauling me onto their board. I flailed, fighting against their grip.

"You're lucky I'm not allowed to kill you," I heard the Darth Vader like voice mutter. I could see Silvia trying to get to me out of the corner of my eye, but the other one still flying on their board prevented her.

I was still trying to figure out what these people wanted as I was being hung like a bandit from their grip. There was a dip down and then a shatter as they broke through a glass window. I was promptly dropped into a jewelry display case, breaking the protective covering with my weight. I let out a low hiss as I felt some of the glass cut into me.

There was a grinding tsking sound as the board powered down and my attacker stood beside me.

"Look at the mess you've made," They scolded me. I got up, jumping out of the case.

"What is your problem?!" I snarled.

"You are," They began calling me every name in the book. I took the time to get as much glass out of my cuts as I could. They then started on calling Tigress every name in the book and I laughed. Some of them were actually pretty accurate.

Then, with an aloof voice, they said it.

"Then again, I guess you can't help it. You didn't choose Shego to raise you," My laughing stopped immediately.

"What?"

"You heard me. Shego is a pathetic mother if-"

They never completed their sentence. I dove at them, pinning them beneath me.

"Take it back!" I snarled.

"Shego's a-" I hissed at their profanity and, in the blink of an eye, I slashed at their face with my claws.

Her mask was ripped enough so I could see it was a girl I was dealing with. Her body jerked and she breathed in quickly as though preparing to cry, reaching for her wrist.

"I can't believe you would do such a thing, DJ," she whimpered, pressing a button.

The uniform retracted away and I saw four angry, bleeding claw marks all down Carmen's face. My heart pounded.

"You tricked me," I growled. She began to cry.

"DJ, how could you?! All I was trying to do was stop you from stealing, from going down the same road as your dear Tigress, and this is how you repay me?! By attacking me like a vicious animal?!" She paused momentarily in her weeping to give me a wink.

"You-"

My own profanity didn't come. Sirens began screaming down, and they sounded like they were heading this way. I glanced outside and saw flashing lights. I stood up and got off of Carmen slowly. A team of policemen charged in, some even behind shields. About three of them were pointing guns at me.

"We've got the place surrounded! Don't even think about escape!" One officer squeaked, his gun trembling along with his body. I put my hands in the air like a good stereotypical arrestee.

"I think we've got a misunderstanding, officers. I wasn't…I didn't mean to…" What was I being accused of again?

A female officer went to Carmen's side.

"Oh, thank god you guys are here. If it had been any later, I think she would have killed me," Carmen blubbered, playing the traumatized victim perfectly. The policewoman glared at me.

"You've got to be kidding me," I murmured.

That was my main thought as I was handcuffed, searched for weapons, and ushered into the back of a police car. _I_ was the one attacked and yet _I_ was getting the blame. I had to hand it to Carmen; she set this up perfectly. It made me wonder who else were behind the masks. Citizens showed fear or relief as the car drove away. Fearful of Tigress the second's coming, apparently, and relieved that the cops had caught me.

I hadn't even done anything.

&&&

The handcuffs were starting to irritate my wrists, but I had to leave them on. Right now, I had to play the part of ideal suspect in order to get out of this. I had spent about an hour lying on a stone-hard mattress in a tiny, solitary cell with two nervous guards posted outside. I had almost passed out from boredom. Now I was in a plain white room with two chairs facing each other across a table. The interrogation room, I presumed.

I hadn't even done anything.

The door flew open and an angry Uncle Hego stormed through, followed closely by Aunt Chloe, Carmen, and Andie. I looked calmly at them.

"Visiting time already?" I joked.

"What were you thinking?! What could possible possess you to break into a jewelry store and do this?!" He pointed at Carmen's face.

"Well, it always looked so cool in the movies, I just wanted to try it for myself," I said dryly.

"This isn't funny, Deseerah! Do you know what you're being charged with? Breaking and entering, property damage, theft, assault," he counted them off his fingers.

"I lost my balance and fell into the building, alright? I'm sorry I didn't land on my feet like most cats."

"Don't mess with me. I saw the damage, and there is no way you "fell" several feet off the ground and shattered a display case on the opposite side of the building by simply "falling"."

"DJ, were you trying to steal something?" Aunt Chloe asked softly.

"No!" I roared.

"Then what's your alibi?" Uncle Hego insisted.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you what really happened. You guys trust your precious Carmen so much, and I'm the daughter of your worst enemy. Forget the fact I've been raised states away from her, I'm just automatically going to turn out just like her, right?" I said bitterly. Carmen tensed up.

"Hego, maybe we should let the kids talk to her. You're coming off very… strongly," Aunt Chloe worded carefully. Uncle Hego nodded.

"I'll be right outside," he threatened, looking directly at me. I gave an exasperated sigh.

"I didn't do anything, and I won't do anything," I stated. They exited the room.

Andie had been glaring at me the entire time, but now I shifted uncomfortably underneath his eyes.

"I was going to try to work it out; maybe it was just me trying to get used to you. But after what you did to my sister… We're through." His words hit me like a dagger in the chest. As if it wasn't bad enough I was innocent and in jail, now my boyfriend was breaking up with me. Over his sister being a jerk.

I shrugged.

"Fine. There's plenty of other fish in the sea," I told him, trying to act nonchalant about the whole thing while really, I felt I was bleeding a little on the inside.

"Andie, do you mind if I talk with my attacker one on one? I want to get a few things straightened out," Carmen's voice trembled slightly. Andie looked at her worriedly.

"Alright. I'll be right outside, too, if something happens," he glared coldly at me and then walked out.

Carmen dropped her pathetic victim act immediately, grinning smugly at me.

"Why are you doing this, Carmen?" I asked.

"Oh, the plan will reveal itself in time," she said flippantly. Her grin dropped into a frown, "Your statement about me was cutting it a little close, don't you think?"

"Even if the truth is absurd compared to your lies, so perfectly tailored to everyone's suspicions about me, I will not hesitate to tell him exactly what happened."

"Okay, let's pretend about the off chance Hego believes you. He doesn't know anything more than what you know, and if he investigates… His heart will be broken," her face was dead serious. I shook my head.

"I'm not going to carry on with your charade much longer," I warned her. She smiled.

"You won't have to."

Uncle Hego came in and badgered me some more, trying to get a confession out of me. I decided to zip my lip; there was no way this biased zealot was going to believe my conspiracy theory. So I sat there and let him go off on me, never telling him the truth while trying to figure out the "plan" Carmen was talking about. Kicking me out of Go City? Too much effort. Getting me in trouble? Why? All I knew was that she was framing me for some reason.

Hours had passed when there was a sharp rap on the door. Hego paused mid-lecture and opened it. My heart soared with new hope.

"Betty!" I cried. Hego bowed his head.

"Dr. Director."

Betty had known me since I was a kitten; she had visited my mother often out of duty for Global Justice. If anyone knew the real me, it was her.

Her eye looked sadly at me, her usually confident demeanor dropped.

"Deseerah," she murmured.

"You know me, Betty. You know I'd never do something like this. Tell them, tell them how it must be a mistake, that I have no reason to steal and me scratching Carmen must have been out of self-defense!" I said eagerly. She shook her head.

"Correction; I knew you," she turned to Uncle Hego, "I told Shego it was a horrid idea to let Tigress sink her claws into her! Teenagers are easily suborned and Tigress would find out what strings to pull in no time to turn our dear DJ against us!" I stared, baffled, at Dr. Director and then shook my head feverishly.

"No, no! It has nothing to do with Tigress! Carmen attacked me and knocked me into the building! I flew to the other side because she was on some kind of hover board! She was taunting me and insulted my mother so I lost my temper and scratched her! I wasn't trying to steal!"

"Deseerah, the least you can do is have some dignity about it and be honest. Lies won't get you anywhere," Betty said coldly.

"I'm not lying!" I insisted.

"Has anyone contacted Shego?"

"I was waiting for your take on the situation," Uncle Hego admitted. Betty nodded.

"Come on," she said, gesturing me to get up. I slowly followed, my hands chained behind my back.

We went up towards the front. In the lobby, the rest of my cousins were waiting, along with Kim, Ron, and their kids. Cassie stood up and walked over.

"I can vouch for her; I saw them attack her! Andie and Silvia saw them too; it was right after the movie…" She pleaded.

"Cassandra," he snapped. She shrank back.

Betty took one of the phones and dialed our house number. She set it on "speaker" and my heart pounded as I heard the phone ring. She picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?" She asked warily.

"Shego, this is Dr. Director."

"Hey Betty. Why are you calling from the Go City jail?" Betty took a deep breath.

"Deseerah broke into a jewelry store and opened one of the cases. Carmen tried to stop her, and Deseerah attacked her."

"Mom, Carmen's lying to them! You know I wouldn't attack someone without a good reason! I wouldn't steal! Mom, you raised me better than that!" I shouted. There was silence on the other line.

And then, the unmistakable sounds of crying.

"Mommy?" I whimpered.

"I'm very disappointed. I thought you were stronger than that."

A wave hit me like I had never known before. I felt betrayed by everyone, ashamed of the pain I had caused my mother, and sad that Andie had broken up with me. And it was all because of Carmen.

Red hot fury that I had never felt before hit me. It burned inside of me, making me want to fight the very feeling itself. The edges of my vision began to turn into a red haze, my lips pulling back. I needed to _do_ something with it, to get rid of this itch. Then, very clearly in my head, the thought of killing Carmen appeared. I didn't shy away from it. In fact, it sounded really, really good.

I clenched my teeth as I closed my eyes, trying to force it all away. It didn't leave as easily as it came, though. I could feel my mouth salivating at the thought of digging my teeth into the little- No! I was thinking like I was hunting prey in the woods! I charged away from them, suddenly glad my hands were handcuffed behind my back.

"Where are you going?" Uncle Hego barked. I didn't answer, because that meant unclamping my jaws.

Most were too shocked to even try and stop me as I ran for the door. I didn't care that I was escaping jail, I didn't care about what I'd have to deal with afterwards, all I knew was that I had to get away from anyone I could hurt.

"DJ!" I heard several yell at me. Silvia blocked my path, "What's wrong?" She urged.

I meant to say "get away" or "not now", but all that came out was an animalistic snarl. Silvia looked into my eyes and then let me pass.

Tears sprung from my eyes as I made it out the door, frustration at my lack of control spilling out. I couldn't head back; I couldn't risk killing her. Because I wouldn't, no matter what my impulses right now said. I needed to get away, faster, faster. I thought vaguely of how strange it was that my mom wasn't the one who taught me to pick locks; it was Duckie. The handcuffs fell from my hands and I went down on all fours. I had to get away. I couldn't hurt her. Yet I wanted to so, so bad.

I ran into the mountains and kept running as far as I could from the city of backstabbers. I ran past the point where my breathing was heavy, past the point where my muscles ached and I felt my limbs were made out of lead. Confused, angry, sad, hurt, and resentful, I collapsed somewhere in the middle of the forest, that burning feeling never going away, scaring me to tears.

&&&&&&

I will not excuse my lack of updates on this story; it is past the point of forgiveness. Please review, if you aren't too offended.


	11. Chapter 11, DrewTheygo

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but DJ, Duckie, War Hawk, Andrew, Carmen, Carmen the second, Cassandra, Tomik, Silvia, Laszlo, Marton, Axelle, Theygo and Tigress.

"We didn't talk after that," Amy said softly as the tears dried. Theygo nodded.

"Never again," she smiled as she fingered an old newspaper clipping, yellowed by age, "I remember glancing through the announcements section of the Middleton newspaper one day, just to see what had been going on since I left. Surprise, surprise when I see the engagement of two of my old friends. The rocket scientist and the brain surgeon; those were going to be some smart kids," Amy chuckled.

Drew reached out for another clipping. Theygo glanced over at the wedding announcement and furrowed her eyebrows.

"Who's she?" She asked. Drew took a deep breath.

"That, that was Debbie."

Another silence fell over the group. Drew's head dropped into his hands, his face scrunched up in unimaginable pain. Images flashed through his mind of the small brunette with the beautiful smile, her bell-like laughter ringing in his ears and her sweet flowery smell in his nostrils. It was so, so beautiful but too brief.

**&&&**

"It was nice of Tim and Amy to invite us," Debbie commented. Drew held the passenger's seat open for her.

"It was," Drew agreed. Though there was always a bit of tension between Tim and him due to unresolved college issues. He moved around the front to the driver's seat and slid in.

"Think the kids are asleep yet?"

"Adam might, but Jessie probably isn't, knowing her." Drew nodded, smiling at the thought of his two-year-old son and six-month-old daughter. They both had their mother's eyes.

He glanced over at her. Her bright blue eyes almost took his breath away every single time. She smiled shyly and they exchanged a brief kiss before Drew started the car, pulling out of the restaurant parking lot.

"Do you think we should stop for milk on the way home? We're running low," Debbie asked. Drew frowned thoughtfully.

"Not sure. If we stop for milk, we might as well stop for gas. Are we paying the babysitter by the hour?"

"Oh Drew, you can be such the tightwad. I love this song," she said softly. He reached down and turned it up.

"So now I come to yooou, with oooopen aaaarms. Nothiiiing to hide, believe what I say," she sang along softly. Drew smiled, and glanced over at his beautiful wife for a fraction of a second. She smiled back at him, the glow of someone's headlights outlining her like an angel.

There was no horn, no screech of brakes to warn him to speed up. Just the sickening crunch of metal and the jerk towards the side. His body whipped to the right, and then back to the left, smacking into the window. The smell of smoke, the sharp pain of shattered glass digging into his skin, his own heart pounding as his mind raced to grasp what had happened in maybe five seconds, and then nothing.

**&&&**

"I never even got to say goodbye…or how much I loved her…" he whispered. The room was silent, Theygo's arm around his shoulders. He took a shaky breath, tracing lightly the scar on his cheek with the stitches still in. When he heard the news…he just walked out of the hospital. Wandered away in a dressing gown, trying to make sense of what had happened. It had happened so, so fast…

"I still can't believe her, taking your kids away," Amy growled. Drakken shrugged helplessly.

"What can I say? Debbie's sister had a better attorney. I was deemed "unstable" by the judge and she gained full custody…and a restraining order," he added in a low voice.

"Anyone would be unstable after their spouse passed away," Amy said softly.

"She was angry and looking for someone to blame for her sister's death. I drove that night. I chose the way home," he said blandly.

"But you didn't run a stop sign drunk," Tim said softly. He sighed.

"Everything happens for a reason," he said, reaching up and squeezing Theygo's shoulder, "Even if we don't understand for a very, very long time why." Theygo smiled and kissed his cheek.

Her eyes glanced over as she saw another clip, though this one didn't fit with the rest. It wasn't an announcement of a death or wedding; it was an announcement of wrong-doing. Side by side were two mug shots. One was Drakken, and one was Shego.

"This was the picture," Amy said softly, picking up the article and staring at it. Her fingertip graced over Shego's eyes, "I was all ready to testify against you, to squeal like a pig. But the picture stopped me when I saw it. The first thing I saw was how much she looked like you. The tiny baby in Drew's arms was all grown up, standing beside him. I wondered if she had known…" Amy trailed off. Drew smirked.

"Strange coincidence that we met again over a decade later, in a little science room her freshman year. It couldn't have been easy to admit I was best for the job, huh, principal?"

Theygo didn't react. She was already years away, sitting on a cold hard chair, more scared than she had ever been in her life in the Go City Courthouse.

**&&&**

She was two seconds away from losing it.

Their appointed attorney couldn't hold up against the state's. Every witness that went to the stand only piled up more evidence against the two of them. The mountain of evidence was too high, the facts too stable, and even the best alibis smashed. It wasn't the first time she had thought she was going to die, but it was the first time it had come with such certainty and such dread. She wondered how long a lethal injection would take, how much the electric chair would hurt before killing her.

On the other side of the attorney was Yougo, insanely, calmly watching the happenings of the court. Did he have any idea that this was the end? Did he still hold onto the belief they were weaseling out somehow? Was he depending to make eye contact with someone, to take over their mind, though everyone had been warned against it? He stuck steadfastly to their "not guilty" plea, as though ignoring the truth would make it not so.

She was going to die. Her youngest were still in middle school, and all five of them would be orphans.

The last witness was called, the one she had been dreading since she had first laid eyes on the assembly. She stiffly rose, her green eyes focused on the stand. Even as she sat, her eyes didn't even so much as flick towards the defense.

"Please state your full name and spell your last name."

"Amy Possible. P-o-s-s-i-b-l-e."

"Raise your right hand. Do you so solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."

"I do."

To tell the truth…the whole truth…nothing but the truth… Amy would have done that without swearing on a Bible. Frankly, Theygo deserved whatever she was about to say. Years of running and her sister's killer had finally been caught, charged with several accounts ranging from theft to murder. Revenge, such sweet revenge.

"Dr. Possible, would you please tell us your relation to the accused."

"Bethy Ann was my sister's best friend…and that's her husband."

"And how is your sister?"

"…deceased." She hissed a bit with the word, cutting right into Theygo's heart. Why couldn't she just get up and run, instead of facing Amy one more time?

"How so?"

"An accident," Theygo blinked. The prosecution also seemed a bit taken aback. The lawyer soon recovered.

"Can you recount that evening for us, please?"

"I wasn't there, but I know why my sister had gone. Her best friend had turned into a villain and wasn't acting like herself since she had gotten involved with…him," The disgust in her voice… Like she was talking about road kill instead of Yougo. Her eyes bored into the lawyer's as he waited for an accusation, "Bethy Ann would have never killed Carmen had she not been involved with him."

Theygo wasn't sure which was more surprising, the fact that Amy wasn't blaming her or her reason why. Yougo…she blamed Yougo. Was she grateful or scared?

The defense _ate up_ Amy's change of heart. Theygo could barely keep up as suddenly she was the victim of abuse. Before she could even dispute this new absurd train of thought, she was dismissed of all crimes and Yougo was sentenced to life in prison, no possibility of parole.

Strangely, Theygo didn't feel sorrowful. She didn't grieve or beg for a retrial. A quiet thought, one in the back of her mind that really knew he had been abusive, whispered "Finally, I'm free."

**&&&**

She had looked for Amy afterwards; in the courthouse, in Go City. But it seemed like she had vanished, sparing no time in her return to Middleton. Her eyes broke away from the past, turning to Amy. She continued to hold the article, tracing Shego's eyes.

"The second thing I saw was how much her eyes look like my own Kimmi's," she murmured. She shook her head, "I would never want to leave her like that, or any way for that matter. Despite everything, I just couldn't do that to you. Yougo, yes, but not my Bethy Ann," she looked up, "I can't believe it took so long for me to realize it really wasn't your fault, that you would never do that to Carmen."

Theygo's eyes glanced away, picking up a picture of Kim on graduation day. She sighed, flipping it over and over in her fingers.

"They could've been friends. Hung out at the mall, had sleepovers, all the things we used to do. Maybe even with Carmen's kids," she tossed down the picture, "But no…they were enemies. The girl with the glowing green hands versus everyone's favorite cheerleader."

"They were friends…towards the end," Drew said quietly. There was silence, the only sound being a distinct crackle of electricity from Theygo's hands.

"No one outside our family has even _dared_ confront the witch for what she did. Not that she's stayed in one place long enough to get a hold of her, the coward…"

"I'm sure there's a special spot reserved for her in hell," Tim growled.

Drew sighed, glancing out the window.

"Do you think we should be heading back? I would think the kids have driven Hego and Chloe up the wall by now," Theygo blinked as though she had been watching a marathon on t.v. for hours.

"We have been gone awhile, haven't we?" She murmured. They rose to their feet, as did Tim and Amy.

"This was nice," he said. Drew nodded.

"Yeah." Theygo and Amy embraced.

"We'll have to meet again soon, without all the tears that time," Amy said. Theygo laughed.

"Alright, but you're the one driving halfway across the US."

Theygo took out her cell, which she had left off since they pulled into the Possibles' driveway. She figured she'd have at least one message from Hego begging for them to take the quads back. She did have a text, but from Chloe…

Drew and Tim were in the middle of discussing the best route to Go City when Theygo gasped, her shaking hand threatening to drop the phone.

"What is it?" Amy asked. Theygo shook her head in disbelief.

Her voice came out quiet and trembling.

"They, they found them. Shego and Dessie…they're still alive."

&&&&&&

Thanks to those of you still keeping up with this story. The next chapter's gonna be a whopper, wrapping it up and all. Please review.


	12. Chapter 12, Deseerah

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but DJ, Duckie, War Hawk, Andrew, Carmen, Carmen the second, Cassandra, Tomik, Silvia, Laszlo, Marton, Axelle, Theygo and Tigress.

I lived in the forests for a few days; eating what I caught, sleeping in trees, letting my instincts take over while I waited for the pain to subside. Its burning intensity scared me, plus the fact that I had never felt anything like it before. I knew better than to go back to civilization; if I did there was no doubt in my dark mind I would kill Carmen. I couldn't even think much about what had happened without having the urge to tear something (in place of someone) apart.

Footsteps caused me to tense up. Human. Before I had taken cover, I heard her voice.

"Dessie?" I hesitated, for the first time wondering how horrible I looked.

Kim stepped out of the foliage, a mix of fear and apprehension on her face. I stood there, my tail swishing as I was on all fours, my eyes boring into her. Daring her to add insult to injury. She gave a weak smile.

"Finally. Everyone's been looking for you; Hego, the kids, even GJ was sending people out. Really, you got your mom's knack for hiding," she shook her head, chuckling.

"Well, apparently I got everything from her genes, including her reputation," I hissed. Kim waved her hands.

"No, no, I wasn't talking about Tigress! I was talking about Shego," she clarified. I stood up on my legs, slowly and deliberately walking towards her.

Her eyes refused to meet mine and the glimpses I got with her scent told me everything; she was afraid. I growled and she tensed up.

"It was self-defense!" I shouted.

"I believe you. Chloe believes you. Silvia and Cassie believe you, too," she said softly. I walked slowly towards her, purposefully. She continued to tense up, even easing back a few steps. I was soon standing toe-to-toe with her, staring her down. She refused to look me in the eyes and I even saw her tremble a bit.

My voice was soft, but commanding.

"Kim, please. Why is everyone so afraid of me? What. Has. My mother. Done?" Kim's eyes timidly met mine. Her jaw set determinedly, her eyes slowly showing it as well.

"You deserve the truth. Come on," She turned around, heading down a deer trail. I followed right on her heels.

After a mile or two, we came to a lazy Sunday drive-like road, a car pulled over to the side. Wordlessly, she went to the driver's door and I slid into the passenger's seat. The car starting actually scared me, making me flinch back at its roar. I laughed, embarrassed. That was stupid. Kim didn't seem to notice, smiling reminiscently.

"I remember, years and years ago, sitting in the passenger seat while Shego drove. It was raining, and it felt like the world was ending and beginning all at once. I didn't know why Shego wasn't going after Tigress after what she had done. Then, she told me a secret… a secret I told but that's beside the point. Mischief had found out the reason why Tigress was hitting and running; she was pregnant with you. I still think you saved Tigress's life."

I tried to follow her train of thought, through the events before I had been born and someone Mom rarely mentioned. I noticed a lot about Kim's tone and practiced word choice. She said Mischief's name with almost reverence, just like Mom. Her voice was sad and grave until she got to that point, then turning slightly disgusted at the mention of Tigress. She was careful not to assign the title "Mom" to either of them, perhaps afraid to insult me. I heard these things, but that didn't mean I understood.

Kim shook her head.

"Sorry, I kind of started in the middle. Got distracted," she apologized, glancing at the seat. She took a deep breath, "Truth is, I came into the middle, too, getting a call from Drakken about terrorizing preschoolers. I don't know why Tigress hates Shego so much; neither does anyone I've talked to. Shego never did anything to provoke her. She just…_loathed_ her," she glanced at me, wondering if she had gone too far.

"What toddlers?" I asked. She lightened up; something she knew.

"Well, you see Drakken, Shego's old boss, had a device called a Juvinator…"

And so she told me the story so far as she knew it, with my mom and her friends turning into children because of Tigress. She tried to skim over the more extreme behaviors, such as Aunt Chloe's kidnap, and I could tell she left a few details of herself out. But I still got the story, and I was beginning to understand. She paused after she described the battle to get Aunt Chloe back and arrest Tigress, leaving the main road.

The car drove in front of an old tree house, pretty much abandoned. A burnt stump and a crater nearby suggested that this wasn't their first attempt, either. At the base of the tree was a foot tall gold cross sticking out of the ground, a smooth moon-white stone the size of an infant in front of it. A little purple angel figurine kneeled to one side of the stone.

We got out, Kim holding back as I walked over towards the collection. I took a knee in front of the stone to get a better look. Etched into its surface in neat cursive was "Mischief: Our Own Harley Quinn". I looked at Kim, shocked.

"Mischief's dead?" Kim nodded, "How?"

The way her and Mom talked about her, she sounded like the definition of life. The one person who could make anyone laugh at any time…gone. And this was coming from someone who didn't know her. Kim took a few steps closer, her sad eyes locked with mine.

"Everyone had gotten out safely…except for Shego and Mischief. And Tigress," I took a step back. My voice came out meekly.

"Tigress killed her, then?" Kim gave a slow nod. My pitch rose, "Why?"

She shook her head, her eyes watering.

"She just did. Shego was knocked out… Mischief didn't do anything to provoke her and, and she tore out her throat…"

My heart sank in my chest as I felt sick. Like, verge-of-throwing-up like-a-punch-in-the-face sick.

"…and I'm never going to escape her shadow," I mumbled. Kim rested a hand on my shoulder.

"Sure you will."

"To a few, maybe. But to some all I'll ever be is the daughter of a murderer," I stared Kim in the eyes, "She's the one who put my mother in the wheelchair, isn't she?" Kim tried to look away, "Isn't she?"

"Yes," Kim admitted.

I turned and started walking away.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to kill her," I seethed.

"Dessie…" I glared at her, tears welling up in my eyes. She sighed, "I'm not going to tell you "no"; heaven knows I'd do it if I had the ability. But at least take a breather and think about what you're doing."

I did. She drove around town and the red I was seeing started to fade away. The burning fire never went away; it just became a manageable ball of pain. It happened like every worst case adoption scenario; I was actually torn between my birth mother and my real mother. The horror of what she had done was daunting…but from behind the image of tearing out Mischief's throat was a whispered "I love you". A tug-of-war I couldn't continue forever, one I was going to have to pick a side on. I didn't want to pick anymore.

She pulled up at the beginning of the driveway, resting a hand on my shoulder as I reached for the handle.

"We're here for you," she reminded me. I gave a small nod and slipped out, shoving my hands into my pockets as I made the climb. Yeah, and who was "we"?

I was a mess; before anything I was going to take a nice long shower. Maybe call and sort things out with Cassie afterwards; she was a great deal less biased than Duckie. And what was Tigress's take on this whole thing? Was there a reason, was she threatened? As much as I loathed thinking about bringing up the subject with her, it was starting to look like I had to.

I opened and closed the door quietly, silently moving down the hall. Last thing I needed was…

"Shouldn't she be back by now?" …what was Carmen doing here? I crept up towards the dining room doorway, keeping out of sight.

"Give her time. The first deep wound takes a bit to get used to," Tigress said calmly, "She'll come back at her own time."

"What's the point of ticking her off again?" Ella asked. My eyes widened. I wouldn't ever guess her being here; Carmen maybe, but not her.

"That's none of your concern, is it? You all will get your shares as promised," she assured them, "That is, if all continues as planned."

"And if it doesn't?" Carmen challenged. Tigress gave a throaty chuckle.

"Then none of you get anything and DJ gets everything. Hopefully you didn't lie to me?" A subtle threat weighed down the question.

"No, of course not! Shego's just gotten out of a wheelchair and her legs are still weak!" Carmen said quickly.

"Well then… I may not be as strong as I used to be, but a cripple would still be a cakewalk," There was a pause for emphasis, "Now, your jobs are to keep anyone who dares to interfere out of my way. Poison them, drown them, bash them on the head… Got any chlorofoam? I don't care how you kill them, just do it and you're done. Am I speaking English?" I assumed they nodded, "Good. Today we strike, before DJ gets back. I suspect she'll be upset by Shego's death, but perhaps I could pass the blame… As you said, there are bears in the area." I couldn't stand by any longer.

I charged into the room and was surprised to see not only Carmen and Ella, but Tomik and Marton and even Laszlo sitting around the business table, mother dearest at the head with her feet propped up. She smiled as though it was the most natural scene in the world.

"DJ, I was starting to get worried…"

"Cut the b.s. Tigress," I hissed, stalking towards her. Like a pod of lackies, the five of them stood up. Tigress looked calmly at me, which only made me even more furious, "I heard what you said, I know what you're going to try to do to Mom!"

"…so?"

"So? So? That's all you have to say is "so"?"

Two strong pairs of arms grabbed me. Tomik and Ella. Carmen had to step in too as I thrashed around, gnashing my teeth at the serene witch.

"You're a monster! A bloody, horrible, disgusting, revolting, carnivorous _monster_! I wouldn't be you for all the riches of the world!" I screeched. Her eyes looked sadly at me, her legs coming off the table.

"No, hopefully you'll never get as bad as me. Hopefully you'll stop at this stage and never get worse." I swore at her. She barely lifted an eyelash.

"What do we do now?" Marton asked softly, he and Laszlo off to one side. Marton looked terrified of what was happening; Laszlo was on the verge of laughing his head off.

Tigress got to her feet, folding her arms.

"We'll continue what we were going to do. Lock her in her room," she said indifferently.

Laszlo had to join in to be able to drag me up the stairs and to force me into my room, screaming and flailing like a wild animal. I got to my feet immediately and charged at the door, only to hear the click of the lock. I grabbed the knob and twisted it, rattling it on its hinges. I slammed my fist against the wall, the red coming back.

I could smell her right outside the door. Hear her shallow breathing, picture her condescending face.

"Throw a fit. Throw the biggest fit you've ever thrown in your life. It might make you feel better, but it sure won't save Shego," There was a sudden weight on the door. At first I thought it was a barricade, but then I realized she was leaning against it, a small thud as her head rested.

I may have stopped "throwing my fit", but I was shaking with rage, my mind still screaming that two letter word Mom swore up and down was my first; no! Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"I really wish you would've just stayed wherever you were, that you came right after we left," she paused, "I wanted you to be strong enough to deal with this, and I'm sorry for the pain I caused you to get you to be. I knew, if I severed your ties to others, especially to her, then it wouldn't be as bad later on."

I hissed. She sighed.

"What doesn't kill you gives you a thicker hide. Her death will be a good strengthening exercise."

"You're a monster," I snarled. She paused a moment, taking a ragged breath.

"…I love you."

"I hate you!" I barked. The weight lifted from the door as she straightened, her heavy steps leaving me.

I rammed against the door, over and over, hoping my weight was enough to somehow pry it open. I clawed at the edges, but they didn't give. I went for the windows, the bathroom, anything. I was trapped like a rat.

I fell onto my bed, sobbing. No, not Mom, please not my mommy. Take me, take anyone else, just not her! I pleaded with someone, anyone with the power to change things. Mommy was everything to me.

Brrrr. My tears went mute, furrowing my eyebrows. Duckie and I's cell seemed to be moving of its own accord across the floor, the screen flashing as it vibrated. Brrrrrr. I snatched it without even looking at the text, punching in the numbers like it was my life that depended on it.

The phone rang and rang, my claws drumming across my knee.

"Pick up, pick up!" I hissed.

"Hey, you've reached the Gaylords; Mary, Shego, Duckie, and DJ. Leave the message after the beep," Mom said before a chorus of all four of us shouting "BEEP!", followed up by our giggles and then the actual beep.

"Mom, Dad, Duckie, anyone who gets this… Get Mom out of there. She's not safe. I can't explain now, but do whatever it takes to get her away from home, from Perro, from Montana!"

I repeated the message to Dad and Mom's cells. Of all the times not to pick up! Had I not been busy dialing, trying to get someone, I would've thrown the phone at the wall.

Not Mom. God, please not Mom.

I couldn't waste time right now. I had to get out of here, stop them myself or get the cops, something. I sighed, glancing down. As luck would have it, my eyes spotted a pair of jeans I had tossed aside. A flash memory of shoving the paper Aunt Chloe gave me that first night into the front pocket passed through and I grabbed for them. Sure enough, the scrap with neat numbers and labeled "Go family" was still in there. I dialed it and on the second ring, they picked up.

"DJ, what's up?"

"Cassie, I need you to get over here with something to break down a door and transportation to halfway across the U.S." There was a short pause.

"I'll be right there." No questions, just a promise. A blessing I couldn't even begin to express my gratitude for.

For an eternity, I paced around the room, trying their numbers again. No one was picking up. I even tried the next door neighbor's phone (which Mom had put in for emergencies, ironically) but they didn't seem to be home. I was just about to try GJ out of desperation when I heard running down the hallway.

"Stay away from the door!" Silvia yelled to me. I took a couple of steps back.

With screeching protest, the wood splintered and the door hinges busted, the door ripped out. Silvia tossed it out and I ran up, hugging them.

"I'm sorry!" I murmured.

"We all have our moments," Silvia assured me.

"Carmen probably deserved it," Cassie said softly, smiling sheepishly. I broke up the hug and they followed me down the stairs.

"So, where's the fire?"

"At home. Tigress is going after Mom," They picked up the pace.

"How? I mean, Tigress…"

"Is practically dead. Well, your siblings are helping her out quite a bit." They exchanged glances, but I figured I'd fill them in once we were on our way.

A circular, silver, almost bumper car like vehicle was in the front yard without any form of top. I looked at Cassie.

"It's my dad's old ride," she explained, hopping into the…navigator's seat? "I've been tweaking it while he's been gone; he's very sentimental…"

Mom drove this? Talk about old school… No time to dwell on that, though. I hopped inside as Cassie took the wheel, Silvia flitting into the back.

"You're going to have to excuse me; I haven't flown much," she said as she started the engine. I tensed up as we lifted off the ground; flying wasn't exactly my forte.

There was a strong chill even my fur couldn't keep out, my hair flapping haphazardly behind me. I couldn't sit still, fidgeting and glancing over the side and toying with the navigation system (which I had been warned against by the both of them). I didn't care how fast we were going. I could only concentrate on how much distance was still between me and Mom.

Hours passed before Cassie started weaving down, the landmarks becoming familiar. Silvia looked over the edge and gasped.

"Laszlo," she whimpered. I looked over her side.

Indeed, there they were; Ella, Tomik, Marton, Laszlo and of course Miss Carmen, were gathered, armor on but the helmets off. Looked like they were playing some kind of game. There was no sign of Tigress.

"Park at the KOA; we'll meet up with you after we take the she-devil out," Silvia said, poised on the edge of the hovercraft. I jumped up beside her as her wings flicked out.

"Shouldn't you wait until I'm clos-" I leaped off the UFO as Silvia dove. I flipped over and over again before landing squarely on my feet.

They turned, glancing between me and Silvia. Now that I was here, mere blocks from Mom, my mind had gone into tunnel vision. I didn't care about these stupid kids; I just had to get home. I was vaguely aware of Tomik going for me before I dodged between his legs, jumping onto Carmen and pouncing off. I was vaguely aware of Carmen behind me, and some sort of commotion. Then, a large man in my way.

"Deseerah!" Uncle Hego snapped. I glared at him before trying to get around. He grabbed and I bit his hand. He released pretty quickly after that.

On all fours, the streets blurred, every breath and heartbeat an eternity. Not Mom…not Mom… It seemed to pound. Three more blocks, two, one… The door was open and I sailed inside. There was an unnerving quiet, only broken by the sounds of rustling up in Duckie's room.

"Dessie? That you? You're home early."

Mom.

My eyes focused on the top of the stairs. A tail flicked in amusement, hands on her hips as she strode out of sight, heading for Duckie's room.

"Miss me, Shego?" Tigress purred.

I bolted up the stairs. The sound of glass shattering and heavy things hitting the floor sent a scream through my head. I turned on a dime before leaping through the doorway. Green enflamed hands were tearing at Tigress, but she paid no mind, pinning Mom to the ground and going for her throat.

I pounced on her, my claws hooking into the spaces between her ribs as my teeth sank into her shoulder, tugging back with all of my might. Tigress held on stubbornly and I dug in harder, snarling. Eventually I tore her off, spinning around and throwing her back. Her back smacked against the dresser and she crumpled to her hands and knees.

I had never seen Mom so frightened, her eyes wide as she gasped for air. Two dots on either side of her neck bled lightly, thank goodness not too deep. I kissed her forehead.

"It's gonna be okay, Mom. You can relax, I'm here now," I murmured before turning back to Tigress. Every fur on my body stood on edge as my back arched, my lips drawing back with an animalistic snarl.

Tigress got up into a defensive position, her teeth barely exposed as I stalked towards her.

"I love you," she said firmly. I gnashed my teeth.

"I…hate…you," I seethed.

It was like I had hit her. She shrank back, her expression suddenly like one of a whipped dog. After a moment of silence, her shoulders trembled before she broke down into sobs. Not crocodile tears, not a soft cry, but heartbroken body shaking weeping. I…didn't know what to make of it, and I sat there and stared at her. What was going on? What was she pulling this stunt for?

There was a screech and snaps of things breaking. I turned around and my eyes widened. As though a tornado had suddenly crashed through, the wall facing the street had been torn off. Tigress screamed, her claws dragging across the carpet as the wind whipped her out. I clung to Mom, staring at the suddenly gray skies outside. She started to stand up.

"Mom…"

"Help me, honey," she said, looking towards the blown-out wall.

She was crazy.

I got her to her feet anyway and we hurried to the edge. I picked her up before we both jumped down. The clouds were rolling faster than I had ever seen, a steel gray heading towards black. Cracks of lightning and thunder were so close together one couldn't even count in between. Tigress lay on her back in the middle of the street, twitching as though trying to fight against an invisible force. A single car was driving down, but was suddenly flipping over and crashing onto the sidewalk. I looked further down the street…and my jaw dropped.

It was a well-known fact Duckie didn't get mad; she avoided even being frustrated if she could. She took meditation, yoga, anything to avoid what she called a "bad idea". But now, as she came stalking down the road, her teeth clenched and bared with her hands in fists, she wasn't just mad. She was furious.

Light bulbs and glass shattered as she passed, the concrete cracking beneath her feet. Sparks came off of her like the beginnings of an electrical fire…and her eyes were firmly locked on Tigress.

"How dare you?" She shouted. Tigress began to whimper and squirm, "I gave you your daughter and _this_ is how you repay me? By doing the very thing I told you you _couldn't_ do?"

I couldn't believe what I was seeing or hearing. Mom and I clung together like frightened children as a blood-curdling scream came from Tigress, staring blankly at an image no one else could see.

"I'll give you something to cry about!" Duckie promised.

Snapsnapcrack. The sounds practically echoed and my stomach churned. Bones were sticking out of Tigress's skin as they broke, her body distorting into a horrible shape. Blood spewed as she coughed, shrieking with inhuman cries of agony.

"Shut _up_," Duckie growled. Tigress's body floated eerily in the air before she gagged and coughed, her hands going to her throat. She gasped for air, but Duckie only stared coldly at her.

Mom stumbled away from me, sobbing.

"Duckie, please, stop! Duckie!" She pleaded. Duckie glanced distractedly back, an involuntary burst of light coming from her. Tigress suddenly burst into flames, in a few second nothing more than a pile of ashes.

The clouds dispersed and grew lighter as Duckie gave a nervous laugh.

"Hey Mom…didn't know I had an audience," she rubbed the back of her neck.

I then realized the group off to the side. All of my cousins and half-siblings were staring, Marton, Laszlo and Cassie crying at the sight. Uncle Hego, Aunt Chloe, Kim and Ron looked baffled at the scene.

"DJ…you're grounded for life for breaking and entering, attempted robbery, assault, running away and not calling when you were supposed to," Mom said, slowly turning to Duckie, "As for you…you're grounded for whatever eternity you have. We do not torture animals, destroy half the town, and incinerate others no matter how psychotic."

"I know," she said, sweeping her hand behind her. A breeze blew the remains of my birth mother away as casually as leaves, "And I'm totally going to fix the property damage as soon as my mana gets back up," she turned to a terrified Ron, who was hiding behind his wife, a wry smirk on her face, "Wrong Shego's daughter, buffoon."

A woman who looked shockingly like Mom came running from the turned-over car, a little scratched up but nothing too serious.

"Shego, what the hell?"

"I did _not_ know about that, Mom," she held her hands up in surrender towards the woman.

"I warned you, adoption is a mixed bag, never know what you're gonna get," she hit Mom upside the head, "I raised you better than to bring up my grandkids like hooligans!"

"I thought I had done a decent job!"

"What, you teach them that homicide and arson are okay?"

"Aren't you supposed to be glad I'm alive?"

"I am, but for the love of justice your kids need a whuppin'!"

Suddenly, everything was back to normal. The town conveniently forgot about the storm and everyone was glad to see me back early. So glad, a spontaneous party was being thrown in the KOA. Everything had been explained about my "attacks", and my innocence shone through. Tomorrow my sentence of two weeks would begin; biting your uncle was still a no-no even if you were trying to save your mother's life. Mom's friends were flying in from all over the world to see their "dead" buddy.

Ultimate Frisbee and a volleyball match were going on and though I was invited, I didn't feel like playing. My mind was still trying to catch up to events.

"We might not be able to talk for awhile; even if it was for the right reasons, Dad's upset I flew the UFO. Said I was as reckless as Shego," Cassie gave a soft laugh, taking a sip of her soda. I smirked.

"Hey, it's nothing compared to what Carmen's getting for siding with the Wicked Witch of Go City," I pointed out with a snicker. Cassie gave a tentative smile.

"Yeah…" She glanced towards the frisbee field, "Even if she's not there…you'll come to visit, won't you?"

"Of course we will. Every break, holiday, and weekend," she beamed, "Oh, before I forget." I took her hand and dragged her towards the game.

"Wait, what are you…nnnno!"

"Sanjay!" I called. He jogged over to me, his shirt shed in the late afternoon sun. Of course, this made Cassie's cheeks turn scarlet, "There's someone I want you to meet. Cassie, Sanjay, Sanjay, Cassie," I motioned between them. He smiled and she mumbled a greeting, "Guess what? Cassie here's a huge fan of cars…"

"Oh really?" I slipped away smoothly as he stepped closer, Cassie giving me a helpless look. She mouthed "evil" and I laughed, jogging off. What could I say? It was in my blood.

Strangely, I didn't feel much like socializing. I wanted to just curl up in Mom's lap and cuddle away all of this summer's madness. I skirted the adult's campfire, finding a place by a man made pond and sitting down. A quiet "thunk" beside me warned me I wasn't alone.

"I think I ODed on caffeine." I glanced over at Duckie. She sure looked exhausted, with dark bruises underneath her eyes and her lids drooping. Apparently even prodigies got tired.

I drew my knees up to my chest.

"So…you're not human, either?" She sighed.

"Not human, goddess, the prodigy, super hero/villain… I've heard 'em all. I'm not all powerful; I've got a couple limits," she insisted, glancing away.

Her eyes went distant as she stared over the pond, flicking her fingers almost in agitation.

"I'd be lying if I said I wanted to be normal. All I've ever wanted is control. I…I never meant to kill anyone, well, 'cept for Tigress. My mom never had a chance, poor dad didn't know what to do. All the rest I got too angry," she flicked her fingers harder, "I really should apologize to Ron about his sensei; he only wanted to help me. I came to Shego because she understood. She could help me with my anger issues." Mom helping someone with anger issues? Seemed a little strange…

"Who told you about where we were?" I wondered. She smirked.

"No one. Part of this gig is being all-knowing."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously," And she was a C student why…? "Hey, I heard that!" She objected. I cringed. I'd have to be a bit more careful with my thoughts now…

The toe of my shoe scuffed at the grass.

"So you knew what was going to go down in Go City? And here?"

"Yep. Hoped against it, but yep," she took a deep breath, "Don't tell Mom, but I gave Tigress her e-mail address. She was just so…dead," Duckie's tone was shocked. I snorted.

"I'm glad she's dead," I said honestly, "She was such a jerk."

"Hey now," she said softly. She picked up a smooth stone, rubbing it between her fingers, "Sure in the end it was all about the hunt, but there was alwayss a bit of human in her. The monster you saw was just a product of her environment," she sighed, "She was just a tiger in a cage, prodded at and jeered at day after day. An animal who took as much as she could and then…" She tossed the stone into the pond, rippling the still surface with dozens of rings, reaching almost to the shore, "Snapped."

My eyes closed. I rested my forehead on my knees as the memory of that burning, killing pain after Mom didn't believe me came back. If it was anything like that, I could relate. I had been so close to turning into her… It was scary to think about. Duckie rested a hand on my shoulder.

"She's better now. Death released her of all the pain, all the bitterness and anger that built up over the years. She's with her family, and her and Mischief are having a grand time playing tag." I laughed, "…that wasn't a joke, DJ."

"Tell Mom that," I retorted. She squeezed my shoulder.

"She loved you so much, she let go of you. You may feel like she abandoned you… God, did she love you with everything in her."

I lifted my head up, staring out over the still rippling water. I'd never forgive Tigress, but a part of me remembered that one glorious week when I was sure she cared. I couldn't change the fact I was her offspring anymore than I could change what I was. I wish I had never gone hunting that day…yet I was glad I did.

I shook my head.

"How perfectly orchestrated these lived are." Duckie nodded.

"Amen."

Whew that was a beast to type. Sorry for the long wait; next chapter is the last one with the whole "two years later" thing. R.I.P. Tigger.


	13. Chapter 13, Aftermath, Deseerah

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but DJ, Duckie, War Hawk, Andrew, Carmen, Carmen the second, Cassandra, Tomik, Silvia, Laszlo, Marton, Axelle, Theygo and Tigress.

Two weeks after her death, three packages were sent out; to me, to Mom, and to Uncle Hego. A manuscript length letter accompanied a CD in mine; a list of the songs were attached as well, while the CD's surface simply read "give me a girl's 25 most listened to songs and I'll give you a look into her heart". Curiously, I put it into my player after dumping the letter in the trash. A piano played before I heard a low scratchy singing voice; hers. "Deseerah, I do believe I failed you. Deseerah, I know I let you down…"

I listened to the CD countless times and slowly, I began to see her life in the slightly changed lyrics. Right to the very end. Mom actually read her letter, and broke down in sobs. For another week or two she was in shock, claiming over and over again that she had no idea.

Two years passed. It was a sunny, slightly windy day in Go City, strolling on the bayside sidewalks.

"So, what are you going to do?" Silvia asked me. I shrugged.

"Not sure. Probably go to college somewhere, then get a job." She gave me a wry glance and I looked away.

I knew what she was thinking; I'd never have to work a day in my life. Tigress had left everything to me, turning me into an overnight billionaire. Seven homes to choose from completely paid off, countless time shares and even more business investments. I had been spending my senior summer finally sorting through her affairs, selling a lot of it off. Heck, I had even found an account she had set up for me with a free ride clear through graduate school.

"Hello Silvia, DJ." A man greeted us. We smiled and waved back. After the cover story Duckie had made that I had killed Tigress had gotten out, Go City had worshipped me right alongside my relatives. I was no longer the spawn of Satan to them.

"What about you?" I asked her. She shrugged.

"Thinking about going to GCU, study business," Guess what GCU stood for?

We paused on the board walk, leaning against the railing and admiring the shimmering water front. She took a deep breath.

"I'm going to pick up Dad's mantle. Both of them," she said. Meaning both his status as hero and the manager of that big Mexican restaurant her mom had been taking care of.

Two months after getting his package, Aunt Chloe went into the bedroom and found Uncle Hego collapsed on their bed, his brains blown out. It was a bit ironic that with all of the arch enemies he had collected over the years, the villain that would finally end him would be himself.

"I wouldn't be surprised if certain relatives decided to follow the more dominant side of the family and went into the bad guy industry," I said. She gave a small nod.

"Carmen and Laszlo have already sworn vengeance," she murmured, picking at the back of her hand, "Think it's always bothered him I got both super powers and he got nothing… Heck, if Tigress's posse reassembles, I might need a sidekick," she glanced towards me purposely. I shook my head.

"I don't do sidekick stunts. Fifty-fifty, equal share partnership…if I even decide to go along with it," Silvia grinned.

"You know you're going to just so you can get revenge on Carmen."

"Maybe…"

"Alright, Catgirl-"

"No! No ridiculous names! I will find one of my…" I trailed off, turning towards the wind and sniffing.

"What is it?" She asked. I shook my head.

"Something…weird." If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was me. Smelled similar with the blend of cat and human, "Hang on," I said before jumping down onto the shoreline, running underneath the docks. Silvia wasn't far behind.

My fur was standing on end as we went deeper, now becoming a little shadowy. I could definitely smell it better, but where was… There was an amused purr and I whipped around.

Leaning casually against one of the pillars of wood was a half man, half lion, his eyes lightly glowing.

"Hey, sis. Long time no see." I stared at him, moving closer. He straightened, looking to be at least a few years older than me, "Actually, we're only half brother and sister. Name's Toboe," he extended his hand. I took it hesitantly and shook it.

"Deseerah," I breathed, not even sure this was real. He looked concerned at me.

"How's your mom?"

"Dead."

"No kidding? Wow," he murmured, looking pretty upset at the news.

"Why are you here?" I asked, getting antsy. He laughed.

"Trust me, it's nothing to get your tail in knots over. Just wanted to see if you'd like to meet your clan mates, and had Tigrese been alive I would've invited her back."

Once again, my sister had to mess with my life.

**End**


End file.
